Author's Note: Feelings the feels for this one, loves. Dramione hardcore with a little sprinkle of Themione for you! As always, thank you to my lovely beta, starrnobella! You're my rock in this. Please leave feedback when you're finished reading! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/commented, favorited/followed/bookmarked, or left kudos! xxDustNight
Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
Current & Future Trigger Warnings: Infidelity, Character Death, PTSD, Depression, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent
Summary: When her partner gets lost in time, Hermione is forced to seek out the help of her estranged husband. With Draco by her side, she travels through time desperately searching for Theo. Along the way, Hermione finds herself having to accept that sometimes love truly is forever and that maybe you really can love more than one person at a time.
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Partners in Time
Pairing: Hermione/Theo and Hermione/Draco
Rated: M
Time Jump #36: February 14, 2014
Song Recommendations: "Clocks" by Coldplay, "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls
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Time Jump #36: February 14, 2014
As soon as they appeared wherever they were, Hermione's eyes went wide and she yanked Draco by his collar into the closest hiding place. Pulling the door of the broom closet nearly closed, she turned to face him in the semi-darkness. He was giving her an irritated look, his playful demeanor from moments ago clearly evaporated. Before he could protest, she slapped a hand over his mouth and hushed him, which earned her a scowl.
"We were almost seen!" She whispered, releasing her hold on his mouth and taking a small step backward so she could peer through the crack in the door. "What a disaster that would have been."
Rolling his eyes, Draco grumbled, "It wouldn't be the first time we risked being seen, Granger. Hell, you and Ada Nott seem to have some sort of weird time travel bond going on."
"That's different," she snapped, whipping her head around so quickly her curls smacked him in the face. "I'm not quite sure how that happened anyway…"
"Nevertheless, it puts us at risk. What if she writes about us somewhere or tells someone what we're doing? We could end up lost in time ourselves." Draco elbowed Hermione, trying to vie for space to see out the door as well.
"She won't do that. She knows what we're up to now." A sigh escaped Hermione's lips as she clutched the Time-Turner in her hand. "She wants her son to live…"
Draco merely hummed in reply, squinting out into the bright room beyond. "Hey, I know where we're at!" A smirk formed on his lips; he loved figuring out where in time they ended up before Hermione.
"Pft," she huffed, giving him a side glance. "We're in the Ministry cafeteria."
"Oh," Draco mumbled, the smile falling as quickly as it appeared. "Then what was the rush to get inside this dusty closet? We could easily have played off our presence like we did the last time we ended up here."
"Not this time, Draco…" Hermione trailed off biting her lip. "Not with your past self sitting right out at that table reading over case files."
"What!?" He exclaimed, practically pushing the door open in an effort to see what Hermione was talking about. "That is me! Hey—how did you know we're in the past?"
"The robes you're wearing. I bought them for you for Christmas one year and you—" She stopped, chest aching knowing she was about to bring their comfortable companionship to an awkward halt. "You left them behind when we divorced."
"Right." Came Draco's clipped response as he straightened up in the small space. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he heaved a sigh of his own. "Fuck. I think I know what day it is." He didn't sound as excited as he normally did upon figuring out when in time they'd traveled to. Today was a bad day. A dark day. One of the days that led to their separation, and later Hermione's affair.
"What day is this?" Upon hearing the pain in his voice, Hermione gave him a strange look as she asked her question. She almost didn't want to know. They both had a past full of mistakes, but something about this particular day made Draco uneasy, and in turn, her as well.
"Valentine's Day, 2014," he answered simply before clenching his jaw and glancing away. He didn't want to see the inevitable hurt that would show on Hermione's face when she realized. Hands clenching into fists, he waited to hear her response. When it finally came, it was in the form of a gentle hand on his shoulder. Reluctantly, he returned his gaze to hers, surprised to find understanding reflected in her brown eyes.
"It's alright, Draco," she whispered reassuringly, removing her hand from his shoulder and tucking a curl behind her ear. She remembered this day vividly…a sort of tipping point in the downfall of their marriage.
"Let's just go back," he tried to reason with her, chest aching. "Our Theo wouldn't come back to this day. I know he wouldn't." Reaching for Hermione's hand where she held the Time-Turner, he was surprised to find his own trembling. Clenching it into a fist, he lowered it, eyes never leaving Hermione's.
"You know that we can't use the Time-Turner so quickly after arrival. It'll make us sick, or worse, send us who knows where." Giving him a sad smile, Hermione tried to figure out why he was so antsy to leave this day. It wasn't like she didn't know the outcome of it all. "We'll just wait it out. Once your past self moves on from lunch, we can go back to present day and forget we ever came here."
Draco nodded in reply, but it turned into a wince when he heard footsteps approaching his other self outside the door. Closing his eyes as if in pain, Draco held his breath as he waited for the scene to play out. He'd nearly forgotten about this day, but now it was going to bring all those hidden feelings bubbling to the surface once again. Knowing Hermione would be watching what was happening outside, Draco turned his back on her, raking his hands through his blond hair in frustration.
"Malfoy!" Called the voice of one Theodore Nott as he made his way towards where his friend was seated. Hermione, recognizing the voice at once, gave her Draco one final uncertain glance before peering out the door to see what was happening.
"Nott," Draco replied casually, glancing up from the file he was reading and popping a crisp in his mouth at the same time. "What brings you up from the vaults?"
"I have a case you might be interested in," Theo explained as he dropped into the chair across from Draco. Pulling a folder from the inside of his robes, he slid it across the table so Draco could see. "There's been another disappearance, and I'm starting to think it has less to do with Veil portals and more to do with a rogue Death Eater Sympathizer. Care to have a look?" He gestured towards the folder before stealing one of Draco's crisps.
Shooting his friend a halfhearted glare, Draco picked up the folder and began to leaf through the parchment inside. His eyes widened a bit at what he saw with every turn of a page. "I suppose this could be more my area of expertise than yours, Nott. Only Muggleborns missing…how peculiar?"
"Didn't you say, off the record of course, that there was a new uprising taking place?" Nott smirked at Draco's sudden frown and the way he snapped the folder closed. "Thought so. Definitely more your department than mine. Now I can get back to avoiding the Veil room at all costs. The damn thing freaks me out."
"I'll take this to Potter after lunch," Draco mumbled, tossing the folder back down and swiping the last of his crisps out of Theo's reach. "What do you have planned this weekend? I suppose I'll be knee deep in Death Eater shit searching for whoever is behind all this." He waved his hand over the file in irritation.
"This weekend? Don't you have plans with Granger?" Theo looked puzzled, his head tilting as he examined Draco thoroughly. Gone was the smirk and playful demeanor, replaced now with complete and utter confusion.
"Nothing aside from the usual dinner at her parents on Sunday." Suddenly realizing his friend's change in attitude, he added, "Why?"
Theo let out a harsh laugh that didn't sound the least bit humorous. "It's Valentine's Day, mate. Don't you two usually go away for the holiday? Romantic getaway for two?" Theo crossed his arms, one dark eyebrow quirking as he waited for his friend to answer. As the seconds ticked on, his frown deepened.
"I—I don't have anything planned," Draco admitted, peering down at all the files he was working on, along with the one Theo brought him. The holiday had totally escaped him, it seemed. Even Hermione hadn't mentioned it; she was just as swamped at work as he was. "I have all these cases to close before the end of the month."
"Wow," Theo said with a whistle. He paused, clearly thinking and then shook himself slightly. "Look, forget I said anything about this case. I'll bring it back to you on Monday and you can enjoy the weekend with your wife. It can sit a few days, I'm sure." He made to reach for the folder, but Draco stopped him.
"No way, Nott. This is a dangerous situation that needs immediate action. You can't expect me to just forget about it for a few days?" Draco was staring at his friend in shock, surprised that he would even suggest such a thing. At the same time, guilt made his stomach twist as he thought how he'd forgotten about planning something special for Hermione this weekend. "I have to do this."
"I really think you should reconsider," Theo said with a bit of an edge to his voice. "You and Hermione clearly need some alone time together."
It irked Draco, but he held back the insult on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he took a couple deep breaths before addressing his friend. "My relationship with Hermione is none of your damn business, Nott."
"I know things have been rough lately—you told me so yourself, just last month at Weasley's stag party. I think it would be best if you scrapped your work for the weekend and took your wife out someplace nice. Just the two of you with no distractions." It was risky, being so forward with Draco, but he obviously didn't care at this point. Theo stood from the table and stared down at his best friend. Before leaving, he added, "Show your wife just how much you cherish her; because if you don't, someone else will." Sighing, Theo ran a hand through his dark hair and then turned and left Draco alone at the table.
Inside the closet, Draco mentally urged his past self to take his friend's advice. Unfortunately, he knew what would happen next. He would get up from that table and take all his work back upstairs to his office where he would shut himself away for the weekend. Alone. Sure, he sent Hermione a bouquet of something. He had his secretary take care of it, but it wasn't what Hermione wanted or needed. That much was made evident when he returned home Sunday afternoon and found their flat empty. She'd gone on to her parents without him…and stayed for a week.
Draco took a shuddering breath, finally turning around to find Hermione no longer watching the door. Her eyes were trained on him, and they were laced with unshed tears. There were so many things he wanted to say to her in that moment, but he didn't know how. They'd fought out this mistake years before, so there was no use doing it again. They both knew that. Nevertheless, Draco had to say something. He couldn't take leaving this moment and never looking back without making some sort of amends with her. He'd fucked up, and now he had to make it right. Their marriage ended messily, but it wasn't just Hermione's fault. It was his too.
"Listen to me, Hermione," Draco whispered, voice laden with emotion as he took hold of both her shoulders so she couldn't look away. "I made a mistake that day—I knew it then, and I know it even more so now. I want you to know who I really am. This is me." He pounded on his chest with both hands. "Not that guy out there. Not anymore. I don't know who that was. Some idiot who worried too much about what his father expected of him, or making sure he remained top dragon in the MLE department." Clenching his eyes shut for a moment, he swallowed heavily before slowly revealing shining silver eyes to her. "I'd give up everything to change this day. Do you hear me? I miss you every day, Hermione. Everything is broken…but not how I feel about you."
Hermione bit her lip, having nothing to say. It hurt just as much as it did in 2014, knowing Draco chose his work over her. Closing her eyes, Hermione felt the tears slide down her cheeks, unable to stem the flow. Knowing there was nothing to be said or done, she peered up at Draco through damp lashes. Now was not the time for revelations—Theo was still lost. She knew more about Theo now, more than ever before, and it was really clouding her brain. How could she feel so wrecked over Draco and yet want to find and thank Theo for caring for her even before she knew he cared at all? It was a mess. Everything was a mess.
Untangling the Time-Turner chain, she shakily wrapped it around both of their necks, carefully avoiding Draco's gaze as she did so. "Let's—let's just go back, okay?" When he nodded in response, face falling entirely, she twisted the hourglass. They disappeared in a blur of wind and time, further apart than they'd been half an hour before. Some things were best left in the past. This was one of them.
