Author's Note: So after a day of procrastination, here is the update! I hope you enjoy it. As always, thank you to starrnobella for beta reading. I can't wait to see what you all think!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 #18: March 17, 2023
Song Recommendations: "Whiskey and You" by Chris Stapleton and "There Will Be Time" by Mumford & Sons and Baaba Maal
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Time Jump #18: March 17, 2023
"I know this place," Draco whispered from behind a wall on the rooftop where they'd appeared. Glancing around, he nodded as if to reaffirm this notion. "We're on the roof of Dean and Seamus's flat complex. Do you remember that one Halloween when we came up here and you let me shag you over the ledge?"
"Draco!" Hermione scolded, smacking his arm, probably a bit more forcefully than was necessary. He started snickering, so she fixed him with a scowl before wrapping her arms around herself. One of these days she'd learn to bring a proper cloak with her in case they ended up when it was cold. "This is not the time to discuss our sex life."
"I don't think there's ever an appropriate time to discuss it, to be honest." Lifting the chain from around his neck, he allowed Hermione to tuck the Time-Turner away while he continued to examine their surroundings. "I think we're in the past," he said crossing his arms. Hermione narrowed her eyes as a mischievous grin grew on his lips. "Any chance it's the night we—"
"Finish that sentence and I will hit you again, Draco Malfoy," Hermione hissed with narrowed eyes. "And no, I don't think it's the same night. Theo wasn't there, remember. He was away in Egypt." She took out her notebook and began rifling through the pages, skimming old notations before stopping on an empty page.
"How do you remember these little details?" Draco asked, scratching the back of his head as he watched her make notes. He frowned when she shot him an annoyed look.
"Photographic memory…" She muttered, obviously distracted as she scribbled away. "There's only two legitimate times we would find ourselves at Dean and Seamus's. It's either Halloween or St. Patrick's Day. With the weather the way it is, my guess is the latter. What do you think?"
"You're probably right," Draco conceded, suppressing a shudder as the wind picked up. "Should we risk going downstairs to find out?"
Hermione was just about to suggest they cast glamour charms on themselves if they planned on doing that when there was a scuffle from the other side of the wall and someone called out to them. "Hello?" Draco and Hermione froze, eyes going wide at the same time their mouths snapped shut. Draco held a finger up to his lips and Hermione nodded in understanding. Maybe if they stayed quiet enough, whoever it was wouldn't come and look for them.
Unfortunately, luck was not on their side tonight. Hermione winced as a few footsteps were heard coming towards their location, and she bit her lip knowing they were about to be caught. "Who's up here?" The voice asked again, and this time, Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"That's Theo," she mouthed to Draco, who rubbed a hand over his face. They were most definitely out of luck, so Hermione did the only thing she could think of. She threw caution to the wind, grabbing hold of Draco's shoulders and pushing him as far into the shadows as possible before slipping around the hidden wall. She saw Draco try and stop her out of the corner of her eye, but there was nothing else to be done. It was safer for only one of them to be revealed instead of both.
"It's just me," she said nervously, rubbing a hand through her curls as she showed herself to the future version of her partner. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you." She was lying, of course, but she hoped he believed her.
His face fell as he took in the sight of her. Dark eyes regarded her for a moment before he lifted a glass of what appeared to be Firewhiskey to his lips. "It's fine, Hermione," he mumbled, turning away from her to look out over the city. "I didn't think anyone followed me."
"I, um, was worried." She bit her lip, watching as his shoulders sagged. She was suddenly acutely aware that something was bothering Theo. When he didn't immediately respond, she moved to stand next to him, placing her hands on the ledge and gripping tightly. Her fear of heights still bothered her despite what she and Draco had done here in the past… Shaking the memory from her mind, she asked, "Are you alright?"
"Fine," he replied in a clipped tone, his jaw clenched in apparent restraint. "I just needed a few minutes alone."
"Oh," Hermione replied, suddenly feeling rather awkward. "I can just leave then…"
Theo sighed, setting his tumbler down before running a hand through his longish hair. Finally, he turned to face her, his eyes sad in the semi-darkness. "No, it's alright. You can stay… I just thought you'd want some space yourself right now too, so I came up here."
"Me?" She questioned, biting her lip for a second in thought. She needed to play this very carefully; after all, she was technically not supposed to be here. "Why would I want some space?"
"Come off it, Hermione," he scoffed, giving her a roguish smile. "We're in a fight right now. Don't play coy with me." He playfully pushed at her shoulder, sending her slightly off balance in the process. When she started to tumble, he grabbed for her arms and pulled her close. "Whoa!"
Hermione crashed into his body, her hands instinctively gripping for his shoulders so she wouldn't stray towards the edge of the roof. "Theo!" She cried out as her body slammed into his, the momentum making them stumble and then fall to the ground.
She landed on top of Theo on the floor of the roof, eyes clenched shut and gripping him for dear life. Both were breathing heavily, and Hermione was certain she was probably squishing the future Theo. As she made an attempt to roll off of him, Hermione found a hand gently moving her tangled curls from her face so she could be seen.
"I'm sorry," Theo apologized, his thumb brushing back and forth across her cheek as he stared intently into her eyes. It was unsettling, to say the least, and Hermione found her heart beating dramatically behind her ribcage.
"It's okay," she stuttered breathily. "No harm done, right?"
He released his hold on her face, allowing her to finally roll off of him and into a crouch. She helped him to sit up next, extending her hand and trying to ignore the way his hand felt like it fit perfectly with her own. Giving her a small smile, he laughed as he gestured to the both of them.
"I guess it's my own fault for getting totally pissed and trying to be cute."
"You are cute," she mumbled, feeling her cheeks flame at her admission. Theo began laughing harder then, using both his hands to get the hair out of his face. "Don't you laugh at me, Theodore. You've obviously had far too much to drink to be wandering about on the roof alone this late at night."
"You're probably right about that, love," he countered before plopping onto his bottom and sitting against the wall. He tipped his head backward, eyes closing as he relaxed. "It's a good thing you came to find me…"
"Remind me again why we were fighting?" Hermione asked the question as she giggled, righting herself properly so she could sit with her back against the wall also. When Theo didn't reply, the silence becoming somewhat awkward as his own laughter faded away, she turned her head to find a solemn look on his face.
"I thought you didn't want to talk about it?" He didn't bother opening his eyes as he spoke, and Hermione couldn't help but frown at the anguished way he sounded. Whatever they'd been fighting about had to be significant.
"I changed my mind," she pressed, biting her lip and wondering if she was tempting fate by prodding too much. Then again, this was the future, a future that hadn't happened yet. Who was to say that this particular timeline would even come to pass?
"You seem to do that a lot," he teased, a bit of his normal self shining through the melancholy. Sighing, he finally opened his eyes and met her stare. "I wish you'd change your mind about having a baby, though."
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed quietly, suddenly understanding why Theo was upset. Obviously, he wanted to try and have children and she, well, didn't. It was a topic that she'd discussed with Draco in the past, and they'd agreed they didn't want them. Or rather, their career pursuits had hindered their time, making it difficult to have children. Granted, that was more Draco's opinion than her own, but she'd gone along with it. She supposed whatever timeline this was, she'd kept that mindset.
"Yeah," he mumbled, rubbing at his face. Reaching out, he took her hand, his thumb rubbing gently across her knuckles. "We've been married for a few years now, and I know you and Draco never wanted children, but I wish you'd reconsidering having at least one with me."
"Theo I…" Fumbling, Hermione tried to figure out what to say. She had no right, really, agreeing or disagreeing with her alternate version, who was probably just floors below. Before she could come up with something to say, Theo stopped her.
"I love you, Hermione, and I hate fighting with you. However, I can't keep fighting with you about this." He paused, his hand still gripping hers tightly. He seemed hesitant to continue, but somehow found the words. "I'm not…" He exhaled harshly. "I'm not Draco. I'm not going to choose my job over you, ever. Please...just tell me you'll at least think about it?"
Immediately, Hermione's mind began to race. She hated thinking about the end of her marriage with Draco, but obviously it was still very much relevant. Her eyes darted towards where Draco was currently hidden and hoped he couldn't hear their conversation. This new partnership they had going on was still fairly fragile. There were times when she wondered just how long he would continue to search for their Theo before growing too angry, frustrated, or tired with her. After all, she'd had an affair with Theo and then chosen to leave despite knowing Draco wanted to try and work things out.
It didn't matter that that their marriage was in a downward spiral; she'd still blown the entire thing to pieces by choosing to follow Theo into that closet to begin with. Looking back to Theo, she realized he was waiting for her to say something, so she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Okay, I'll think about it…" She trailed off, watching as hope blossomed on his face. "With one condition."
He reached out to cup her cheek before speaking. "Of course… Anything."
"Repeat all of this tomorrow when you're sober? Just say it exactly like you did, alright?" She didn't want to screw this timeline up, but if she said one thing and her future self said another, there would be complications. "And don't mention it until then too. So, um, so we can enjoy the rest of the evening."
"That's probably for the best. I lost track of how many shots I did an hour ago." He smiled when Hermione laughed, and she suddenly felt a whole lot better about the situation. Letting go of her cheek, Theo pushed himself to his feet and shook his head slightly. "I think the cold is sobering me up a bit, anyway. Want to head back downstairs and do a few more shots?"
Hermione couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up at that. She carefully stood, using the wall to brace herself. "Sure," she started, "Why not?" In reality, she was about to find an excuse to linger so that she could disappear with Draco while Theo went and found the real Hermione for this timestream, but he didn't know that.
Guiltily looking towards the wall, Hermione was about to make her excuses when Theo closed the distance between them with a single step. Hermione held her breath as she looked up into his startling eyes. She was fairly certain that her heart was about to beat itself right out of her chest. Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and as Theo's hand came up to card through her curls, she felt them explode. Opening her mouth to speak, Theo took the opportunity to show her how he felt.
He kissed her soundly, his tongue tentatively seeking entrance to her mouth. Without thinking, she allowed him to deepen the kiss, her own hands coming up to tangle in his hair. He moaned into her mouth, his body backing her against the wall and holding her there while he continued the kiss. It was like she was back in that closet in the Ministry all over again, remembering the way he made her feel so alive. Kissing him back with fervour, all thoughts of Draco flew from her mind.
All there was was Theo. Theo and the way he was making her feel right now. Knowing that she could end up with Theo in the end made things not seem so dark. She just had to find him, the real him, and bring him back to present time. As this Theo broke away from her mouth to trail hot kisses down her neck, she vowed that as soon as she found him, wherever he may be, she would tell him that she still thought about that night…
"I love you so fucking much, Hermione…" Theo growled into the crook of her neck, nipping the sensitive flesh there. She whimpered, her knees going weak as desire pooled low in her stomach. She wanted to badly to give into what her body was telling her to do, but she knew now was not the time. Theo continued whispering sweet nothings to her, his hands moving to slide under the bottom of her shirt. "So much…"
"Theo…" Hermione tried and then gasped as his hand found and cupped her breast. "Theo, as much as I want to continue this, I don't think this is the right place…" She hoped it was enough to deter him, and also that Draco never bragged to him about the time she and him indulged in such pleasures on this very rooftop.
Sighing, Theo's hand slowly removed itself from her body. Then, he was back to staring into her face, a shit-eating grin on his kiss-swollen lips. "Afraid one of your friends might stumble upon us?"
"No…" She worried her lip, doing everything in her power not to check and see if Draco was glaring at her from around the wall. "I'd much rather not catch a cold. What do you say we head back downstairs and have those shots like you wanted and then we can go home and spend the rest of the night in bed?" When his smile widened, she knew she had him.
"Okay, but only if you wear the little blue lingerie I like so much."
"No green?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him and thoroughly enjoying the question in his eyes. "It is St. Patrick's Day, after all."
"I like the way you think, witch," Theo teased before stealing one last kiss. When he parted, Hermione couldn't help the sigh of disappointment that left her. "What's wrong?"
"I think I need just a minute to myself. Do you mind if I stay up here for just a few minutes longer before I meet you downstairs?" She needed to get him to leave her, and she really did need to clear her head. Enjoying Theo's kisses and touches was definitely not on the agenda tonight. Draco was bound to be furious with her at this point.
"Sure, love," he replied before backing away and grabbing for his discarded tumbler. "I'll see you in a few." He headed for the door on the other side of the roof, throwing her one more lustful glance before disappearing through it to rejoin the party.
As all the breath rushed from her body in relief, Hermione had to do everything in her power not to have her knees buckle. That could have gone horribly wrong, but she'd been lucky. Hell, for all she knew, the other Hermione was downstairs right now totally confused about why Theo was asking her to do shots when they were meant to be fighting. What a right mess this was...
"That was far more awkward than I thought it would be," a voice drawled from next to her. Face scrunched up in embarrassment, Hermione looked to Draco with an apology already forming on her lips. He held up a hand to stop her, though. "Save it," he told her. "You did what you had to to save both our arses. Let's get out of here before he comes looking for you, or worse, your future self decides to investigate what the hell he is obviously going to allude to."
Swallowing, Hermione averted her eyes as she retrieved the Time-Turner from the insides of her robes. "How much did you hear," she asked as she looped the chain around their necks.
"All of it," he admitted, watching as she hesitated. "I didn't realize how badly you wanted children… Maybe it would have changed things between us."
"No," she said in a rush, head snapping up so she could look at him. Honestly, she told him, "I loved you Draco, and that was enough. We both agreed that children weren't a priority and that's how I still feel." Shrugging, she thought about what Theo had said before she carried on. "Maybe in the future I can change, but it seems that may not be the case."
"How do you feel now, after talking to Theo?"
"Honestly? I don't know…"
And it was true. She didn't know. There were so many ways the timestream could play out. She could end up with Theo, or maybe he was never found. Maybe she would want children with him if they got married, or maybe she wouldn't. These were all things to think about, and certainly not meant to be discussed with her ex-husband right now.
"Ready?" She asked him, cutting off her train of thought before she gave herself a headache.
"As I'll ever be," Draco responded, taking hold of her shoulders so they wouldn't tumble around too much upon arrival back in 2017.
When she met his steely gaze, she was surprised to find understanding reflected there. It made the entire situation slightly less uncomfortable, at least for now. With a nod, she turned the hourglass and sent them home, thoughts of babies and a future with Theo safely tucked in the back of her mind.
