Hey all!
Gosh dang, sorry it took me so long to update! (I know it hasn't been a terribly long time, but I digress.)
As always, I appreciate SO MUCH your reviews, follows, favorites, etc. It just like definitely makes me smile!
I feel a bit terrible for taking so long to update, I am sorry! I have come to the story several times, jotted down a few lines, and then nothing. Absolutely nothing. My muse just went on vacation or something. Life has been tough lately and I think it's just bleeding into everything I do.
To those of you who may be with me in hurting the last week(s) as you watched the country go to shit over the Kavanaugh hearings and all the incredibly ridiculous trigger things that are making their way around FB, IG, Tumblr... please remember it's okay to turn that shit off and say that you aren't okay. It's okay to be not okay. It's hard to watch. It's hard to hear. It's hard when you have your own shit that you've buried and this feels like digging it up from deep down in the earth, but we'll all get through it.
Enjoy :)
Draco was hyperventilating, looking at the man standing stoically in thick black robes just steps from him. His brows furrowed in confusion as he took in the sight of Severus Snape.
Hermione was rubbing gentle circles onto his back, as he gasped for breath. He was shocked, not just with his matches, but with the fact that a man he once respected and admired was alive in front of him, and he was going to marry him. He couldn't imagine the Snape he knew agreeing to something like this, but he'd also thought the man had been dead for several years. He couldn't quite fathom that his once Potions Professor was into guys.
Draco still had his hand clasped around Hermione's, he was probably squeezing a bit harder than he should, but his head felt like it was full of fog and his legs were trembling. He turned to look at her. She had a gentle, concerned look in her eyes.
"I know, it's a lot," she said to him, "I fainted, and Harry stunned him, so I promise you're managing just fine."
Draco snorted, imagining the boy-who-lived stunning Snape.
"We know you have questions," Snape spoke softly, a tone that Draco had never heard from the man. Snape looked at Kingsley, who was standing on the sidelines of the room, "Can we have some privacy now, Minister? Draco was the last to cast today."
Kingsley nodded sharply, "Of course, Severus." he said, "Mrs. Malfoy is still in the conference room, I will see that she gets home safely."
With that, the members of the committee strode silently out of the room, leaving just Hermione, Severus, Draco, and the other hooded Unspeakable.
Draco glared at the man silently, before whispering to Hermione, "Why aren't they leaving too?"
Severus walked over to the hooded man, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Draco, there's much you'll hear over the next few hours and much of it will be overwhelming for you." Severus said in a gentle tone, one that Draco had never heard from the man before, "I imagine even now you're feeling confused, probably a bit angry, and upset. Please know I will explain everything I can to you about my presence here, but before we do so, Hermione has something else to tell you."
Draco looked between Severus and Hermione, wondering when the two of them became on a first-name basis. Confused was the least of his emotions, as he pondered the law, his Mother being escorted from the room by Harry-bleeding-Potter, and why Severus seemed so nice.
Hermione was still rubbing circles onto his back, and though his breathing had steadied, he didn't bother telling her to stop. He'd had so little human contact since his stay in Azkaban, that he didn't want to deny himself a kind touch.
"Obviously, you've gathered that I'm your match, according to the spell," she said to Draco. "I cast the spell just a while ago as well, and after throwing a tantrum, fainting, and then changing a bunch of particulars to the law and spell, I accepted that this is my future. Because I'm muggleborn, it was likely that I'd have more than one match, and I did. In fact, I had three. You, Severus, and one other."
Draco raised one eyebrow in response, glancing at the man in the hooded cloak.
"Yes, one other," she continued, "Severus has been working with him in the Department of Mysteries for several years and they're close friends, which makes this whole thing a bit easier."
She nodded at the man in the cloak, indicating her desire to have him reveal himself.
Draco stared at the man next to Severus, a mix of fear and anxiety on his face.
"As you can see, Severus is not the only surprise to arise from the law. Sirius Black is also alive and I will be marrying him as well." Hermione said, "That means the four of us are going to have to all live together and work together to support the families we'll soon have."
Draco scrubbed his hands across his face, trying to ease some of the tension from his body before he spoke.
"How is this happening?" he asked, looking at Severus. "And shouldn't you be in prison?" He quickly added on, while pointing at Sirius.
Outside of the room, Harry had settled himself next to Narcissa. She had stopped crying fairly quickly and was sitting quietly with a pensive look on her face.
"Are you okay," he asked her gently.
She shifted slightly, before looking at him. "Mr. Potter, the Ministry is forcing me to marry a man the age of my son. I'm expected to birth two more children, at the same time my grandchildren will be born. My son is in there now, the last one to be seen and I can only imagine what's happening behind that door." she huffed.
Harry let out a small chuckle in spite of himself.
"I think Draco will be okay. Probably speechless, for a while, but he'll be okay." Harry said. "But, we should maybe talk about this, not about Draco."
She stared blankly ahead, not bothering to meet his eyes.
"Mr. Potter, please know that I have nothing against you. I owe you a great deal, as does my son. You've had a rotten go of things for most of your life, as we all know, based on the spreads I've read in the Prophet. This is just another burden our world is placing upon your shoulders." Narcissa sighed, forgetting all the pure-blood etiquette she'd been raised with, before laughing as she murmured. "My sister is probably rolling in her grave. Me, marrying Harry Potter, and a muggleborn girl! A girl!"
Harry reached out and gently took Narcissa's hand in his own. He felt her stiffen at his touch, but he continued to rub his thumb along her knuckles in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.
"Well, it's shocking for all of us." he said to her, "But, I can tell you that despite the way we've found ourselves in this situation, I'm determined to make the best of it. You've saved my life. I owe you everything. This world owes you everything. I never imagined I'd marry without love, or that I'd marry two women, or that I'd be forced to have children."
He took a large breath, pausing to gather his thoughts.
"But Narcissa, I do want a family. I want a wife. I want children. I want to come home to laughter and kisses and smiles and I want to feel wanted, something I never had as a child. I don't want to bring life to this world only for those children to be resented because their parents were forced into marriage by an archaic Ministry of Magic." he continued, "I know I probably sound mental, but I want love in my life. I'm willing to make the effort. With you, and with Ms. Wright, when we meet her. I want to get to know you both. I want to make you both happy, whatever it takes."
He grew quiet, as Narcissa contemplated his words.
He felt a small squeeze on his hand, realizing he still held hers within his grasp.
"My marriage to Lucius was arranged," she said softly, "My Father wanted nothing more for the Black and Malfoy families to unite. It was a powerful union. I respected him, for a time. Until the Dark Lord came. I begged him, many times, not to follow that wretch, but it was out of my hands. I only could do what I was able to protect Draco."
She raised her head to look in his eyes, "I can't promise to love you, or to make you happy, or to not be afraid, or overwhelmed, or angry. But I can promise to try." she said.
A small smile quirked the corners of Harry's lips.
"That's all I can ask of you," he said, raising the hand he still clutched to press a kiss on her fingers.
Nearly an hour had passed, and Harry and Narcissa had settled into a comfortable silence while they awaited the final occupant of the conference room. The other meeting attendees had been seen out of the office, and a stillness settled within the space.
Harry was sipping lightly on a cup of hot tea when Hermione slipped out of the meeting room and walked to stand near him.
It took her by surprise when Narcissa spoke first.
"I've been sitting here for an hour, wondering why it's taking my son so long to come out of that room," she said in a low voice, "And I know that for the rest of us, our sessions were in and out within just minutes."
Hermione wasn't sure what to say, or what the woman was getting at.
"It occurs to me then, that something big must be happening in there. And as you're in there... I'm assuming part of that includes you?" Narcissa asked politely.
Hermione was taken aback by the bluntness of the question but quickly regained her composure.
"Mrs. Malfoy, I'm sorry you've been waiting out here for so long." she rushed to explain, "There are... extenuating circumstances with Draco that required some extra time. I've come out here to request that Harry and you join us in the room now. Draco would like to share his matches with you, and I think he's at least guessed at yours." she said with a small smile.
Narcissa stood quickly, and Harry reached out to support her with a hand under her arm.
"But, before we go in..." Hermione continued, "You should know that there's some rather shocking information that's about to be shared with you. I think you'll be quite pleased, once you process it. We've all reacted a bit differently. I fainted. Harry stormed the room calling for Aurors, Draco was... well quite overwhelmed with emotion. We all are."
Narcissa looked at the girl and nodded her head sharply. What could possibly be more overwhelming then everything she'd already experienced this day?
"And, of course, what you hear and see in this room still falls under the confidentiality umbrella we discussed earlier," Hermione interjected.
"Miss Granger," Narcissa said, growing impatient. "This day has been nothing but emotional. Can we just get on with it?"
Hermione consented, leading the two back to the door she'd come from. Harry placed a hand on the small of Narcissa's back, preparing to steady her against the shock he knew she'd be up against in the next moments.
Hermione rapped on the door, and when it cracked open to reveal Severus Snape, Harry caught Narcissa as her knees gave out.