CHAPTER FOUR

A month and a half later...

Draco and Theo sat on either side of me and held my hands as we all waited eagerly for the results of the spell that would reveal whether our gamble had paid off. The private healer Draco had hired was guaranteed an expert in fertility and a very discreet professional. He'd been with us from the start of all of this, and he'd known the desperate lengths to which we'd been driven to help us achieve our dreams. Twenty minutes ago, he'd administered three tests – one by wand, one by potion, and one by drawn blood – to make sure of the results, and now we waited with bated breath.

"What if it didn't-" I hedged, voicing the one concern we'd all had for the last month and a half, since our night together. None of us had said it until now, but I needed to know what we'd do in case it was negative, so I wouldn't be utterly without a plan.

"Then we'll try again," Draco stated with confidence, giving my hand a small squeeze. "If you want."

I glanced up at him in surprise, and then over at Theo. "You'd be willing to?"

His silvery-blue eyes met Draco's over my head, and then focused on me again. "Yeah, I would. I want to be a father as much as he does."

"We talked about it the other day, when you were out," her husband explained in a low tone. "We didn't want to jinx it, so it stayed between us, but since you've brought it up..." He shrugged, and reached up to brush some curls from my eyes. "What do you want, though, baby? That's all that matters."

I took a deep breath, not wanting to jinx this either. "I'm open to the possibility if..." I left the thought hanging.

The healer chose that moment to come back in. He was smiling. "Congratulations! The foetuses are exactly six weeks old."

My jaw came unhinged. "F-f-foetuses?"

"Twins," he confirmed. "The sex isn't determined yet, but there's no doubt about it: there are definitely two of them in there. The fertility potion worked perfectly."

I had to put my head down between my legs as spots swam before my eyes. Draco rubbed my back, and everyone talked at once, trying to get me to breathe normally, fetching water, and advising me to relax.

Two.

Twins.

The fertility potion had worked, all right.

As soon as my blood pressure righted itself, I was able to be led out by my two lovers without incident. We Floo'd to Malfoy Manor together to give the good news to his parents, who were anxiously waiting for word.

Narcissa and I had become much closer since that evening at my flat; sharing one's darkest secrets tends to create a bond of friendship between people, apparently. I now sought her out for advice, looking to her as I might a second mother, which paved the way towards a more amicable relationship. Lucius, however, was still mostly interested in the idea of a child from me for the sake of preserving the Malfoy family name. His wife privately predicted that once the man held his grandchild – grandchildren, now – in his arms for the first time, though, his icy exterior would melt. I was hoping for the sake of our babies that that would be the case.

Narcissa's joy was a sight to behold: the woman actually had standing tears in her eyes, although she steadfastly appeared to keep them at bay by will alone, as it wouldn't do for a Malfoy to cry in public. Lucius seemed pleased, and shook his son's hand, as well as Theo's. When it came to me, he seemed uncomfortable with how best to express his congratulations. I took the big step in going to tiptoe and pressing a kiss to his cheek. He affectionately squeezed my arms and gave me a true smile. It was a start.

The gushing continued as Draco went to fetch my parents and bring them in on the good news as well. We all sat down to dinner – everyone there already filled in on Theo's role – and there was much enthusiastic talk at the table about naming the children. Boy and girl names were tossed about and there was some teasing, but overall it was a good night.

Later, after my parents left and the elder Malfoys retired to their wing of the Manor, my boys had just finished a celebratory glass of Firewhisky together – I took camomile tea, of course – and then Theo got up to make his exit as well.

"Wait, please," Draco requested. "I-" He stalled, seemingly unsure how to phrase his next request. He put his drink down, walked over to his best friend and directed him back to the sofa next to me. With a push on his shoulders, he silently requested Theo sit. Bewildered, he and I traded a look, and then he plunked his bum down next to me.

My husband was pacing back and forth in front of us, his face a mask of uncertainty. "I... want to ask you both something important." He stopped, looked down at the two of us focused intently on him, and then swore under his breath. "Bloody hell, I need another drink."

Cutting the room in a few swift, long-legged strides, he reached the drink caddy and poured a half-full glass of Firewhisky, taking a big gulp and an even deeper breath after swallowing. Turning slowly, he met our bemused gazes across the room. "I wondered if-" He paused again, dropping his stare to the drink in his hand. "How would you feel about moving into our flat with us, Theo - as in, permanently?"

The silence was deafening.

Theo cleared his throat, and my eyes shot to him. "I suppose... that would solve the issue of timesharing the children."

Draco swirled his glass around, and his voice was deceptively mild when he replied. "Yes, but that's not the only reason I asked."

My heart thudded in my chest. I knew from the blush on my husband's cheeks what he was hinting at. He and I hadn't discussed this, but in that moment, my mind flew over the possibilities, tearing apart the issue to find the negative impacts and then weighing those against the positives to be gained.

"If this is about my financial situation," Theo replied with a bit of affront to his tone, "I hardly need you to-"

"It's not about that at all," my husband cut him off, allaying that fear. Through a half-lidded, storm-grey stare, he met his friend's eyes. "You know what I'm asking."

Theo paled, swallowed, and looked to me for his cue.

I stared right back, seeking his soul.

Had I liked what we'd done together in bed? Absolutely. Did I have feelings for Theo? Yes, the beginnings of some serious ones, if I were being honest.

Over the last six weeks, he'd been with Draco and me almost every day, Flooing over after work to take meals and walks with us. It hadn't been annoying or imposing, but had felt... natural. On the weekends, we'd gone shopping together a few times in Diagon Alley and in Muggle London, both. We usually had long discussions in the evening in front of the fire about everything and nothing, me sipping warm apple cider, non-caffeinated tea, or hot cocoa, the men enjoying brandy or coffee or a tea with some kick. We had even, one lazy Sunday afternoon when it was raining outside, lay out on the couch. I was stretched between the two of them, head on Draco's lap, feet on Theo's, each of us reading a separate book. The silence had been golden and comfortable then, and it was one of my favourite memories to return to when I was stressed at work.

In all that time, my husband's best friend had never overstepped any boundaries or taken liberties with me, despite the intimacy we'd shared, showing me and Draco the utmost respect. I could sense the loneliness in him, though; it called out to me from his expressive grey-blue eyes. I could tell he wanted very badly what Draco and I shared. As far as I was aware, he had no family left alive – his mother had died when he was a child, his father had died in the war, and he had no siblings. He had an ex-wife, Daphne Greengrass, whom I knew he'd married for love, but who had left him going on ten years before for some German wizard who could boast of a prime vault at Gringotts and could afford to take her on whirlwind holidays across the globe. He and his ex had never had children together. Currently unattached and with no prospect in sight, he was truly and utterly alone. All he had was his work, a big, run-down Manor house, and bills. He never complained about his lot though, always cheerful when he greeted us, generous with his smiles and teasing wit, and loyal to Draco in a way that was similar to what Ron, Harry, and I shared.

In all honesty, I'd begun to crush on Theodore Nott badly, I had to admit. The idea that he might move in so we could continue to explore this new aspect of our relationship – all of us, as it was clear that my husband liked sharing me with his best friend – was thrilling.

I took Theo's hand. It was cold. I warmed it between my palms. "I like the idea for a lot of reasons." Shyly, I looked down at his wrist as I began tracing the blue veins under the skin. "Not just for the babies, or because it would make things easier to have you here in case of emergencies. The truth is... the truth is, Theo, that I hate you going home alone every night. Every time you walk into the Floo, I want to snatch you back. I want you to stay here with us. It feels like you were meant to. When you leave, I feel your loss." I looked over my shoulder at my husband, and could see my thoughts reflected on his relieved features. "We both do." I turned back to Theo, met his gaze. "I know this is all so overwhelming and new, and that we're all feeling our way here, but... you've come to mean so much to me. I want us to try."

Theo looked like he was going to hyperventilate, and there were tears in his eyes, beading his lashes. He looked to Draco again, then me. "You're-" He stopped, clearing his throat once more. "What if we... can't make it work? I don't think I could go through that again."

I silently cursed Daphne Greengrass for hurting this wonderful man so much that he'd spent ten years alone, too afraid to try again.

Draco was suddenly there, drink gone from his hands, kneeling at our feet between us. He placed a hand under mine, causing my palm to be sandwiched between the two men. "We have our glue in Hermione. That's what we were missing before, Theo – you and I. Why it didn't work." He looked into his friend's eyes, earnest. "We never had someone we both loved. Now we do."

"But... you're married to each other," the other man whispered, his voice trembling with the fear of giving over so much trust to an unknown.

Draco and I shared a glance, and did that thing that long-time married couples do – we had a silent meeting of the minds in that one look, and came to a consensus. "We'll handfast," I offered. "It's not legal, but it's magically binding." I laughed at Theo's wonderment that we would offer such a thing. "We're having a child – children – together, lover. What more binding thing in the world can there possibly be?"

TO BE CONCLUDED...

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