Chapter 11

January 2010

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singin' in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

"Dream A Little Dream of Me" by Doris Day

Draco sobbed into Theo's neck as the other man filled him, Theo's strong hands holding Draco tightly against him. "Draco, fuck you are such a good boy. The way you take my cock. Amazing." Theo grunted as he snapped his hips. The friction of Draco's cock against the hair on Theo's lower abdomen. That was definitely new since they'd been nineteen year-olds in bed together. Draco wondered sometimes at the details his mind created as he dreamt.

The taste of Hermione's cunt.

The hair on Theo's chest.

Hermione's secret tattoo on her hip bone. It was a new addition since the dreams he had before Crete. He wondered why his dream had changed that. It was beautiful though, those protection runes inked in her skin.

Why would the dreams invent such small things to make him madder than he already was?

In daylight hours, he ached to see Theo shirtless or for Hermione's shirt to come untucked. He only needed to see a few inches of skin to know. If the dreams were real because sometimes he suspected that he wasn't the only one dreaming such things.

One morning after a particularly debauched dream where Theo had fucked Hermione's arse, while Draco filled her quim and he and Theo had kissed over her shoulder and she had shattered between them, he found Hermione in the kitchen early when he rose to brew some tea. He'd woken up and had to finish in his hand. It was such a real dream. She'd blushed at him when he caught her bent over getting something from the counter and she'd looked up at him, her face low. His own breath had come fast. The energy in the room was electric.

He backed up so she could rise and when she stumbled slightly he reached for her and she grabbed his forearm to steady herself. His left forearm.

It was so hard to understand how she could stand to touch him there. It was as though she had forgotten that he had been so evil once upon a time.

Hermione was never so breathless around him as she was that morning and he found himself wondering if she hadn't just woken from the same erotic dream.

Draco decided to test his theory.

"I love the way your hands look as you cook," Draco murmured, sucking on Hermione's fingers while Theo licked and sucked between her legs. Her eyes were hooded as she gazed at him.

"Is that right?" She whispered between moans. "Well…oh gods right there, Theo…I love watching you cook too, especially oh fuck as you have gotten more confident with it. Mmmhmmm… you really have a gift." She smiled one of those dazed pleasured smiles that Draco only ever saw in his dreams. He wondered if she had that look on her face in real life when Theo wrung her body out with pleasure.

"Theo might have a gift with his tongue, but I'm just a burden to the two of you when we are awake." Hermione shook her head in denial at Draco's words, but only screams of pleasure came from her mouth as she shattered under Theo's tongue.

"Fuck you aren't a burden I wish you would stop calling yourself one," Theo murmured, pulling Draco close in their post-coital haze. Hermione was still catching her breath, but she nodded. "We love you. We just want to take care of you and show you what sort of care it is that you really deserve. We are just waiting for you to be ready."

Theo's words haunted Draco's waking life the following day. A year ago he believed that the treatment that Astoria gave him was what he deserved. How could he convince himself that he deserved better than his past?

How could Theo and Hermione love him?

He tried to catch the looks that they cast in his direction, were they longing or was it only his imagination?

It was so hard to know.

What was real and what was a delusional fantasy? How could he ever truly trust his own mind again?

...

"Where is he?" A shrieking witch at the door of the cottage disturbed Draco as he was helping Hermione make the shopping list; it had become part of their routine now that he helped cook the evening meals with her. Draco had two recipe books prompted open with charms so that he could copy the ingredients he needed for Beef Bourguignon and Coq Au Vin.

"Fuck you, Theo! Where is he?"

Draco froze in terror, not recognizing the voice at first.

"Hey," Hermione grabbed his arm, "She's dead. It's only Pansy. No one is going to hurt you."

"Pansy Longbottom," Theo's voice rose, "I get that you want to see him, but if you don't calm the fuck down right now, then you will leave and come back when you are calm."

"Do you want to see her?" Hermione asked, searching his face. "You don't have to, if you aren't ready." Draco looked down at her hand still touching his arm, his left arm, where his Dark Mark was still carved into his flesh. Instead of pulling away, Draco put his hand over her hand and squeezed.

"She sounds really worried about me," Draco said, trying to reassure Hermione like she so often reassured him. "It would probably be easier if I just talk to her."

Hermione nodded. "I'll head to the store then, do we have all the ingredients on the list?"

Draco nodded, worrying at his lip.

"Theo," Hermione called, "Draco says she can come in."

Pansy came into the kitchen in a whirl of silver with her cloak and midnight blue Wizarding robes, glaring at Hermione as though she had been the one to keep her from coming in the door.

"Don't upset him," Hermione hissed at the other witch as she passed her, heading out to go to the store. Theo peeked his head in afterwards and waited for Draco to give him a reassuring nod before he made himself scarce as well.

"So," Draco started, unsure of what to say next.

"I can't believe that you went through all of that and never told me! I would have avada'd that bitch and made Neville cover it up. We could have fed her body to the giant squid." Pansy began obviously having rehearsed what she was going to say. "I didn't even know where you were after I finally found out exactly what had happened. Blaise let it slip at Poker night that he'd gone to the hospital and Theo threw him out, after I asked why when he said that Theo would no longer be attending. I gave Blaise a black eye and Daphne has banned me from the house. She's lucky I didn't give her one to match! After that I went and did some threatening of Harry Potter and he handed over Granger's address. Are you alright here? Is it too awkward with everything? Do you want to stay with me and Nev? I have space and elves, so you wouldn't have to do chores." Her face screwed up in disgust at the recipe books and clean pans that he had been organising on the counter.

Draco shuddered at the idea of living with elves ever again. "No Pans, I'm fine here. Theo and Hermione are helping me alot and I've gotten pretty attached to Crookshanks." At Pansy's look of confusion, Draco clarified, "Hermione's cat."

Pansy blinked at him, at a loss for words.

"I'm doing alright," Draco continued. "I mean as well as I can be given the whole my wife was insane and tried to murder me before being taken out by the Chosen One and I had to spend several weeks in hospital, where I found out she'd been feeding me magical suppression potions for all of our marriage and torturing me with dark artefacts that made me consider suicide on a regular basis. Other than all that, I am completely fine."

Draco stared down at his hands which had started to shake.

"Pans, I'm so sorry that I missed your wedding and haven't been there for you. I've been an awful friend," Draco said, his feelings of guilt overwhelming him.

"Hey," Pansy reached out and took his hand in her own perfectly-manicured one. "Nothing was your fault and there is nothing to forgive. You were being held prisoner. I shouldn't have accepted the troll shite that was coming out of that hellish bitch's mouth. I should have known better than to think Nev and I getting married was a dealbreaker for our friendship. That's not on you, that's on me."

Draco bit back tears and if Pansy was a hugger, he would have embraced her, instead he settled for squeezing her hand.

Pansy stayed for over an hour and just listened as Draco shared about his old job at the Ministry, his weight-lifting, his new forays into cooking and his new favourite shows. He didn't add any more about the abuse that he suffered with Astoria, and Pansy didn't ask. She shared about redecorating Longbottom Manor and stories about Neville working back at Hogwarts and the kinds of things he caught the kids doing in the greenhouses. It was good to feel that someone, other than Theo and Hermione, had missed him.

Draco heard Hermione's car returning from the market and looked up expectantly. Pansy took that as her queue to go and made her excuses, promising to come back to visit the following week.

"Theo!" Pansy yelled on her way out. "I'm leaving and also banned from Poker Night. So we need a new spot. I think Pucey and Flint would rather hang out with us than Blaise at the moment also!"

"I'll figure something out before next month!" Theo yelled back to the witch as she let herself out.

...

"So call me crazy," Theo whispered, kissing Draco's neck tattoo as Hermione kissed the other side. Draco's hands rested on their backs and everything felt so good. Draco closed his eyes in the dream so he could focus on the warmth of their skin against his.

"But our room is right outside yours," Theo continued, his voice husky like firewhiskey and smoke, "You could wake up from this admittedly lovely dream. Open that door. Walk in and climb into our bed. I could cuddle and lick and kiss you in real life."

"You couldn't possibly want that," Draco's breath trembled, his cock reacting as one of Theo's warm knowledgeable well-remembered hands stroked him.

It was Hermione's sweet voice that answered him, her breath caressed the lobe of her ears as she whispered, "You can't possibly be blind to how much we want you, can you? I've wanted to touch you for years, please Draco come to us in our bed when we are awake."

"I never stopped loving and wanting you," Theo admitted. "We're waiting for you. Let us take care of you. Just come to our room and you'll see. You can't have convinced yourself that this is a regular dream."

"But what if it is a regular dream? I couldn't survive you two rejecting me." Draco's confession brought new fervour to the lovemaking of the two in bed with him.

"We'd never reject you," Theo murmured, his grip tightening on Draco's cock as his palm rolled over the head in just the way that had always made Draco's eyes roll back up into his head.

Hermione kissed her way down Draco's Sectumsempra scars. "We're just waiting for you to be ready. Are you ready? Please let us take care of you."

"We love you," Theo's eyes met Draco's as Theo took his head into his mouth. Theo always knew just how to maximise Draco's pleasure.

"Fuck Theo," Draco gasped and Hermione bit lightly at his nipple, causing his back to arch as Theo made his toes curl. "Hermione. Damn. I want to believe this is true. I am so in love with both of you."

Hermione crawled back up his body and before capturing his lips, she hovered above him. "We know and we're waiting for you." Draco came into Theo's mouth, Draco's hands lost in Theo's thick curls.

Suddenly awake, Draco gasped in the darkness.

Could he? Should he? Would this mess everything up?

Were they really waiting for him?

Draco pulled off the covers, rising from the bed. He tried to gather some bravery about him. He carefully opened his door and walked down the hall, opening Hermione's bedroom door.

They were there.

Theo was holding Hermione around her waist, her cami top was pushed up to her breasts and he could see the soft expanse of her navel. He sucked in a breath when she shifted in her sleep and the tattoo on her hip was visible.

The runes were truly there on her skin, in a place Draco had never seen when he was awake.

The small noise he made caused Theo to stir; he blinked blearily at Draco.

"Dragon? You came?" Theo asked, huskily, as he slid back from Hermione making a space in the middle of the bed. "Come on, then."

Draco came to the edge of the bed and stared at the empty space that Theo had made for him, feeling as though he was about to jump off a precipice.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, love," Theo whispered. "Just let us take care of you."

Those words.

Their dreams.

Draco's heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest, but he climbed onto the bed, careful not to disturb Hermione as he laid on his side. Theo pulled Draco's back against his chest.

"Right where you belong," Theo murmured into Draco's temple. Draco released a trembling breath afraid to say something wrong. Hermione shifted in her sleep, her body pushing back into Draco. He allowed his hand to softly touch her hip.

Theo pulled the blankets back up over the three of them. Draco felt so warm and protected. He had never imagined such a feeling was possible.

"Sleep," Theo murmured, "It's just after one and you have therapy in the morning." Theo kissed Draco's head and his own breathing slowed as he fell back asleep.

Draco wasn't sure that he would ever be able to sleep being surrounded and touched like this, but exhaustion overtook him, his cheek pressed into Theo's bare chest and his fingers holding tight to Hermione's hip lest both of them disappear while he slept.

...

Waking up in Theo's arms this morning had felt so right. Crookshanks had been on his legs, prohibiting his movement and Hermione had shifted in her sleep and was pressing her breasts into his chest, her curls spread across the pillows.

Hermione blinked awake and looked up at him with a smile on her face. "You actually came. I told Theo you would believe us eventually."

She nuzzled into Draco's chest. He thought that his heart skipped a beat.

Theo kissed Draco's neck lightly when he too woke up. "I could lay here with you two all day, but Draco you have your appointment at Mungo's, we need to get ready or you'll be late."

"Can't I skip this once, Theo?" Draco heard his own voice, desperate and bratty, and he didn't remember when he had last allowed himself to behave that way, when last it had been safe to do so.

"No, love," Theo sounded regretful. "Come on, if I don't get up, then I will keep you two in bed all day."

"I wouldn't complain," Hermione stretched languidly like a cat, disturbing Crookshanks causing the cat to meow in complaint, hopping off the bed. "It's taken so long for Draco to listen to us. I don't beg that much normally."

"Liar," Theo laughed, kissing Draco's shoulder one more time, "She begs so prettily." And then Theo rolled out of bed.

"Mmmm," Hermione hummed into Draco's chest. "You better go before I finally have my wicked way with you."

Draco was convinced that he had to still be dreaming, but he rose from the bed to go get dressed.

...

Draco arrived at his Mind Healer's office feeling ten stone lighter than his last visit.

"Have a good appointment, love." Theo smiled at him as he sat down in the waiting room with his book like always, as though that last word hadn't set Draco's world off its axis. "I'll be right here."

"Like always." Draco stated.

"Like always," Theo agreed, his smile brighter than sunrise warmed Draco in a way that he hadn't felt in years.

He went into his appointment with a smile playing around his mouth and a little bit of a spring to his step.

"How are you feeling today, Draco?" His healer asked with her kind grandmotherly smile.

"Better than I have in a long time, " Draco admitted. "I feel like I'm finally perceiving the possibilities that life holds moving forward."

"That's splendid news, Draco. I can't wait to delve more into the things that are giving you joy right now," she smiled. "And I know you are tired of these questions, but are you currently safe, Draco?"

Draco's thoughts whirled with Hermione's soft eyes and helpful hands, Theo's kind words, Crookshanks purring on his lap.

"Yes, I don't think I have ever been safer."

...

Draco could feel the anticipation roaring in his blood by the time he and Theo returned from St. Mungo's. Theo had taken Draco's hand when they had apparated back to Hermione's cottage. Draco felt like his whole world revolved around the place where their skin touched.

When they reappeared at the apparition point near Hermione's, Theo still did not let go of Draco. Draco, for his part, did not complain.

Hermione was nowhere to be found when they returned inside, eventually they found her asleep with her book looking like a sleeping princess in the bed. Her housecoat was loosely belted and revealed a great deal of skin. A book was open on the bed and the blankets were rumpled from where the three of them had been in the bed together that morning.

"Dreams like we had together last night always wear her out," Theo confessed, his hot breath on Draco's ear.

Draco blushed when he considered all of the things that the three of them had done to each other in their dreams over the past several months. He'd done things in his dreams that he'd never done in real-life.

"Shall we wake her up with kisses?" Theo asked, his lips setting Draco's being on fire as they ran along the column of his throat. Theo kissed every one of the scars there and ran his tongue over the Azkaban tattoo, before kissing it too.

"What?" Draco's mind couldn't seem to do two things at once. He could not both comprehend the words that Theo was saying as well as bask in the sensations that he could have sworn that he would never feel again.

"Do you want to wake Hermione with kisses?" Theo grinned, as he spun Draco in his hold. "You can kiss her anywhere you like. I bet she doesn't have knickers on."

"I don't," came the sleepy voice from the bed. "I was hoping that we would finally be touching each other outside of our shared dreams." Hermione sat up and the robe fell open exposing her shoulders and even more of her chest. Her breasts were nearly completely revealed, only the nipples still obscured. "How about Draco gets naked and climbs in bed and I kiss him all over."

Not sure when he started nodding, Theo's laughter returned his focus to the wizard. Theo ran a finger down the buttons of Draco's shirt. A whispered charm had each one popping open. Theo pushed Draco's shirt over his shoulders.

"Mmmmm," Theo made a pleased noise as his hands ran over Draco's skin. "Have I mentioned how much I love these muscles? And watching you work out?"

"Not-not when we are awake," Draco could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Well I do," Theo smiled, kissing one of Draco's Sectumsempra scars that bisected his chest. "I love your scars, your muscles, your tattoos." Draco's shirt fell to the floor. Theo's hands were at the opening of Draco's trousers, Theo's lips just above Draco's so that the two wizards were sharing their breath. The tension was electric.

It was Draco that finally bridged the distance, claiming Theo's lips with his own as Theo unfastened Draco's trousers, his warm fingertips running along the edge of Draco's trunks.

"Fuck you two are hot," Hermione was chewing on her thumb, her honey golden eyes devouring them where they stood. "But too far away." She patted the bed next to her. "Come here please."

"She can get quite bossy in the bedroom," Theo confided. "In case you didn't notice in all the dreams we've had."

"You like me bossy," Hermione shook her curls, looking like a queen.

The two wizards surprised her, and themselves, by answering "Yes," synchronously.

Her answering laughter was warm and joyful. Draco thought that he would never get tired of hearing Hermione happy. He stepped out of his pants and took Theo's hands in his, kissing the knuckles.

"You are overdressed, Theo," Draco pointed out.

"Easily fixed, Drake," Theo wandlessly vanished his clothes, his erection hard against his belly. Draco ran his hands over Theo's chest and Theo's fingers tangled in Draco's hair.

Hermione stripped her robe from her body and tossed it at their feet, drawing their attention back to her. Theo took Draco by the hand and led him to the bed before pushing him onto it. Draco landed on his back.

His breath left him in a huff of air and he'd barely pulled in a new breath, before Hermione was covering her body with his. Passionate kisses from her soft lips were like their dreams, but her flesh had a warmth and her skin a golden glow that the dream world could never hope to replicate. Her nipples were hard against his chest. She was making him painfully hard as she slid down his body. She kissed and stroked as she went.

The words she murmured into his skin were burned into his soul.

"Perfect."

"So good."

"Delicious."

"Mine."

"Ours," Theo corrected, taking his place to Draco's side, placing his own kisses on Draco's skin. Even Draco's faded Dark Mark did not escape the scrutiny of their lips and tongues.

Draco felt as though they were purifying him, there could be no darkness left within him after they completed their course. Hermione had always shone like a star and Theo had been his sun for every happy day in his accursed life. He closed his eyes to bask in the sensations of their hands and mouths.

Their touches were worshipful, as though Draco was a treasure. He thought that if he was always treated like this, perhaps eventually he could believe that he was something special too.

He moaned as he felt the warm heat of a mouth around his cock. He was unsurprised to see Theo's sapphire blue eyes looking up at him when his eyes flew open. Hermione's nails ran down his thigh, sending shivers through him even as Theo's mouth and tongue made his muscles tense.

"Theo -" Draco gasped, "I'm not going to last…Don't want to be done yet."

"We have all day Draco," Theo pulled off Draco's cock with a pop. "This is just the first of many ways we're going to take care of you. Let go." As if Draco had any choice in the matter, his very veins were on fire, every part of him inflamed by Theo's mouth and Hermione's touches.

His back arched and as he was about to scream Theo's name, Hermione's lips swallowed his sounds of pleasure. Draco's hand flew to her face, touching her cheek with reverence while Theo swallowed down his seed.

Hermione took Draco's hand and guided it to her breast.

"I've never touched - my gods Hermione, you are so soft and perfect." Draco's hands brushed over her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples and making Hermione keen. Possessed with a new idea, Draco lowered his mouth to her nipple and sucked. Hermione held his head hard against her, keeping his mouth where she wanted it.

"Oh-oh, just there Draco." Hermione rolled her hips seeking the friction that she was missing as Draco lavished attention on one breast and then the other.

"I could do this all day," Draco confessed, nipping her nipple and making Hermione cry out.

"Those perfect breasts are a menace," Theo murmured as he came behind Draco, his teeth and tongue on the blonde's neck. "I have the hardest time not being able to concentrate around her because I too would like to play with them all day."

"Fuck," Hermione gasped as Draco sucked a love bite just above her nipple. "Draco please, I need you." She took his hand from her breast and guided it in between her legs where she was dripping. "I need you."

Draco loved the way that Hermione was begging. Noone had ever begged for him before. He's always been the one who had begged anyone for any type of connection. He'd begged for his parents' love, for his father's respect, for Theo not to leave, for Astoria to let him go. And now here was the Golden Girl begging him, needing him. He didn't know what he had done to deserve this - these two people who cared about him-, but Draco wasn't going to give it up.

He wanted to hear the sweet sound of her begging for the rest of his life.

"What do you need, sweetheart?" Draco asked, his voice husky as he touched her dripping petals. He wasn't sure what to do, but he thought of all the dreams where Theo had given him lessons in how to please Hermione.

He slowly rubbed in circles on her clit as he found it while she moaned.

"You are so wet Hermione," Draco murmured in awe.

"She's all wet just for you Drake." Theo kissed Draco's neck and rubbed his hard cock against Draco's arse, "I can't wait to fuck this arse again, fuck you're so fit."

Draco could feel his cock hardening, desperate for Hermione, for Theo, for everything that they were offering him. They were everything that he could ever need.

"Hermione, lie back so I can help guide Draco in for the first time in that perfect little pussy of yours."

Draco climbed over her. He held himself up on his forearms and stared down into her flushed face.

"Gods, Hermione, you are beautiful." He'd always thought so, but now, naked and covered with the marks of his mouth, she was divine.

Theo took Draco's cock in his hand guiding it to Hermione. Draco was overwhelmed with the eroticism of Theo using him like a toy for Hermione's pleasure as Theo rolled the head of Draco's dripping cock against Hermione's clit, making both Draco and Hermione moan desperately. Theo lined Draco up with Hermione's opening.

"You've got it from here," Theo reassured Draco as he tilted the blonde's hip just slightly and spread Hermione's thighs.

Draco pushed himself into Hermione's body. He gasped several times as he slowly filled her, pausing to examine all the new sensations of the wet warmth of a woman around him, not just any woman. Hermione Granger. Draco wondered if he was still dreaming as he rolled his hips and her body responded to his.

"How does she feel?" Theo asked him.

"Incredible, like nothing I've ever felt before. Hermione, you're perfect." Draco smiled down at her, but she seemed lost to speech, biting her lip and rolling her hips.

"Big isn't he," Theo laughed at Hermione's expression.

"Mmmmhmmm," the witch moaned. "Please Draco move!"

Draco began to thrust into her, Theo's encouraging voice in his ear, Theo's hard cock pressed against him.

"That's right Draco, fuck her like you do me. I knew you would take good care of her. Fuck, you two look so amazing together, my loves." Theo's words were like honey, as Hermione's eyes were honey. The two of them were everything good in Draco's soul.

Theo took Draco's hand and guided it back to her clit as his cock slid in and out of her.

"Go on, make Hermione come so you can feel her while you're inside her." Theo's voice was hungry in Draco's ear, pushing his pleasure higher, commanding him to bliss. Hermione's climax took Draco by surprise. Her body squeezed his cock and her arousal soaked him. His eyes widened in surprise.

That hadn't been part of the dreamworld then. Women's bodies truly were a marvel, Draco thought, trying desperately not to come.

"No no now it's your turn, come inside her, claim her as yours too." Theo kissed Draco's back, his hands leaving lightning storms in Draco's magic until he couldn't take anymore, his orgasm almost painful in its intensity. He dropped onto Hermione less than elegantly as his arms gave out. She gave out a hiss, her eyes narrowing. Theo smothered a laugh, shifting Draco into his arms.

"You did such a good job, Drake my love." Theo stroked his hair, pulling Draco in tight. "So perfect."

Leaning back into the pillows, Theo continued to touch and stroke and praise Draco.

Draco didn't think he'd ever heard so many compliments in all his life, let alone at once.

"Theo, stop!" He pleaded, a new blush all over his cheeks.

"Never. You are my good boy." Theo declared to Draco as Hermione cuddled up close to them as well. "I'm never going to let you doubt how amazing you are. Not for a single minute. You'll just have to get used to it."

As Draco lay there basking in their touches and soaking up their love, he thought that he could get used to Hermione and Theo.

He remembered how he had wept with loneliness, wanting to be held by the two of them the previous year. If only he could go back and tell himself that his dreams were going to come true.

All the dreams had always been true.

"Don't you need to finish, Theo?" Draco asked, tilting his head to look at Theo.

Theo shook his head, kissing Draco's temple. "I have forever. There's no rush."

...