Three
Her eyelids felt literally stuck together. Her mouth had a sour taste she couldn't identify. And her hand was touching an arm that wasn't hers.
Hermione gasped and forced her eyes open. Through a light haze she was able to recognize Harry's black hair sticking out from under the blanket and she calmed down instantly.
Just Harry in her bed.
Her heart sped up again. Harry was in her bed.
Although Harry had been in her bed several times before, right now she couldn't think of her best friend in just a friendly manner. Seeing him lying in her bed under the blankets was doing funny things to her.
Hermione closed her eyes again and rubbed her face with her hands. Who was she kidding? Harry had absolutely no idea that she was attracted to him, and even if he did, he wouldn't just go for it. They were friends. They were lifelong friends. It was too weird.
She slowly made her way to the bathroom, trying not to wake him.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, all she could think about was how it wasn't weird at all. Not for her.
It felt right to wash her face and imagine gently waking him up. It felt right to tie her hair up and imagine holding his head on her hands. It felt right to brush her teeth and imagine kissing him.
"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, frustrated that she couldn't stop imagining what kissing Harry would be like. She just wished she would have the courage to just go ahead and kiss him. Just to get it over with and see if there was any possible way for something between them to become real.
But she couldn't do that to their friendship. If there was a chance of this working, she had to talk to Harry first.
And then she remembered Malfoy.
She walked out of the bathroom in a hurry and sat on her bed, looking at Harry. She had to know.
"Harry," she spoke as delicately as she could, knowing that hearing his name usually makes him wake up startled.
"What, what?" he rushed, lifting his head and looking around rapidly.
Hermione caressed his head, shushing him softly. "It's okay it's just me."
"Are you okay?" he asked worried.
"Yes, I'm sorry to wake you up," Now she bit her tongue, feeling incredibly selfish for doing this just for her own interest. "Harry, what was that yesterday between you and Malfoy?"
He sighed and let his head fall against the pillow. "Can we talk about this later? My head is killing me."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This was a bad idea. Go back to sleep." Hermione stood up went to leave the room.
"No, no. Stay, I'm up anyway," he mumbled sleepily.
Hermione slowly made her way back, climbing on the bed and lying down next to him.
She sighed. "I'm sorry, I just...couldn't stop thinking about it."
"I know, I was pretty much expecting that." He rubbed his eyes and then took a moment before speaking again.
"In the last couple of months, sometimes, when I go to the Ministry to pick you up or wait for you, I would run into Malfoy," he explained, very calmly.
Hermione wanted to ask a million questions, but she knew he would tell her, eventually.
"At first he was making fun and being all... Malfoy. You had already told us that he would approach you at work and that you thought he had changed, but it was difficult to believe it without experiencing it. Later on I saw that he was making an effort and trying to be nice, in his own way, so eventually I started to talk to him more, and for the past few weeks, every time I go to the Ministry, he's there. Without noticing, we had been having regular conversations."
Harry looked uncomfortable and she waited a second to see if he was finished.
"I don't understand," she started. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me every time we saw each other after speaking with him?"
"I was embarrassed," he admitted.
"Embarrassed? You already knew I was being friendly with him, did you honestly think I would judge you?" Hermione found it weird how tentative and nervous the question seem to come out when she asked. Like she almost didn't want to know the answer to her own question.
She was lying down on her side, looking at Harry's profile as he stared at the ceiling. He hesitated. They were never this uncomfortable with each other.
"I was embarrassed because I think..." He blushed and took a deep breath. "I think he has been flirting with me."
She thanked God Harry wasn't looking at her right then because her eyes went wide and her cheeks bright red.
"I know it sounds stupid and ridiculous and you will probably be right to tell me that I'm usually too oblivious, but... I'm telling you, he was flirting with me. And not only all those times at the Ministry, yesterday too. I don't know if you noticed though." Then he turned to face her and she was able to compose herself in time.
"Um, no. I mean, I don't know. But I still don't understand why you're embarrassed, he's the one doing it. Unless..." She left the ending open because she wasn't sure she could finish that sentence.
Harry turned to lay on his side like her, so they were facing each other. He had taken off his glasses the night before, and Hermione could look clearly into the green of his eyes, see all the things he was trying to say without words. Based on what she saw at the pub and his reaction right then, it was pretty easy to figure out the outcome.
"You like Malfoy?" she whispered almost like a breath and Harry closed his eyes tightly and nodded his head.
"Hey, it's alright," she reassured him. "It's not a bad thing. I just don't know why you couldn't tell me before. You know me, I won't judge you or make you feel bad."
She was very close to admitting that she might like Malfoy too, but she realized that it probably wouldn't make things better. In fact, it would complicate everything.
"I know. I guess I still find it hard to believe and I didn't know, well, I still don't know how to explain it. I mean, you're probably thinking 'how on earth can anyone like Malfoy?' And I don't have an answer, I just, do." He struggled to put his feelings into words and all she wanted to do was tell him how much she understood him.
"No, no. It's really okay, Harry. Is this why you decided to date men?" She asked, remembering their previous conversation.
"Yes and no. I was a bit nervous about men even before Malfoy. Him flirting just made the decision easier, but it's not like I made that decision in order to date him, that's insane. I can't date Malfoy." He laughed incredulously.
She frowned. "Why not? I thought this whole conversation was about that."
"No, it was just about explaining why we were like that last night. I just have a small crush, it will go away eventually and the good thing is that it helped make me less nervous around men, so now I can meet somebody." He sat up, putting on his glasses that were resting on the nightstand.
Hermione sat up too. "Isn't it funny that we, I mean you, Ron, and I, all had had recent and separate encounters with Malfoy? And I was the only one who didn't hide it."
Harry laughed and shook his head. "Again, I'm sorry. But you have to understand, this is all very strange for me. I have no idea how you made it seem so normal for you."
"Well, I've had longer than you," she stopped talking because suddenly she remembered something. "Wait. Did you say that Malfoy has always been there, every time you go to the Ministry to find me?"
"Yeah, the elevator opens in the ninth floor and there he is, looking busy. It's incredible how he manages to seem like a completely different person than who we knew at school, but at the same time you get the feeling that's you've always known him," Harry reflected, looking calmed and relaxed.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean," she agreed. She didn't know if she should voice her musings to Harry right then, but now that she thought about it, every time she ran into Malfoy at work in the past few weeks, he was always on the ninth floor, always an hour or so before she was supposed to leave, when she took a small break to get coffee, and always claiming he was there for legal advice, since it wasn't his floor anymore.
Malfoy had memorized her schedule so he would run into her and then into Harry when he came to pick her up.
Suddenly she was in urgent need of food. It was all too much to process on an empty stomach.
"Do you want me to teach you how to make my pancakes?" she offered, leaving the bed.
"You can try, but I won't promise I'll learn," he said, following her out of the room.
"You're a good learner," she complimented him.
"You're a good teacher. Thank you for not judging me. I love you, Hermione." He stopped to hug her and she melted into it, feeling Harry's strong and large body surrounding her. She never felt as comfortable or safe as she did when he hugged her.
She sighed contentedly into his chest.
"I love you too."
"Now, let's make pancakes."
.
Another day at the Ministry should feel the same as always, running around from one place to another, filing paperwork, doing research, and running errands for her bosses.
Unfortunately, the entire atmosphere had changed when she found out there was one handsome boy who waited to run into her almost every day at the same time, and then waited for her best friend as well, apparently flirting and then disappearing into the night.
Needless to say, Hermione hadn't been able to focus on work the whole day. She kept thinking about different scenarios and none of them made her feel happy. What if she was right and Malfoy was interested in her? What if she started dating him? What would Harry think?
And now wasn't a good time to tell Harry about her feelings for him, as he was now ready to date men.
Oh God, what if Harry and Malfoy dated each other?
Images of the two of them in romantic settings filled her mind. Malfoy kissing Harry. Harry touching Malfoy. Harry and Malfoy...
She splashed cold water on her face and then paced along the office bathroom. She was too restless to just sit at her desk while her mind reeled.
Aside from the obvious fact that Malfoy and Harry together was an unbelievably arousing idea, it also made her kind of sad. First time in her life that she was attracted to two different men at the same time and they also happened to like each other. What were the chances?
She slumped her shoulders and looked down at her feet. It wasn't like she could stop them from dating if that's what they really wanted. She couldn't have it all.
Her head snapped up in realization.
Could she have it all?
No, no. It was too crazy, even in a Magical world with unicorns and ghosts. It was too wild, even for someone who flew on a Dragon's back and traveled in time.
Plus, they'd never go for it.
Right?
Hermione couldn't be seriously thinking about this. It was just an ideal fantasy that would be too weird, even for her.
She glanced down at her watch, realizing she had spent so much time in the bathroom worrying that she had missed her coffee break. Might as well do it now, her entire schedule was messed up anyway.
When she stepped into the floor lobby, she knew she should have been expecting what she saw.
Harry and Malfoy stood in front of each other, discussing quite vividly about something or other and smiling. Malfoy probably waited for her and she didn't show up, and Harry was already there to pick her up.
She carefully stopped behind a column and watched them for a few seconds, noticing Harry's nervous fidgeting and Malfoy's eager tone. It had been a long time since she saw Harry smiling this much.
He uncrossed his arms from his chest and one hand reached forward, landing on Malfoy's forearm in a more than friendly gesture. Malfoy's eyes burned Harry's with one of the most powerful stares she had ever seen. She shivered involuntarily.
Alright, maybe it wasn't too crazy. Maybe it wasn't too wild. Stranger things had happened, especially when It came to her and Harry. Strange things seemed to be a regular occurrence for them.
Hermione was going to find out if she could have her cake and eat it too.
.
She walked determinedly towards them, relishing the look on their faces when they saw her. Harry's cheeks went red and Malfoy's entire demeanor turned serious and business-like. Such a good liar.
"Hello Malfoy. Harry, I finished a bit earlier today, I just need to get my things and we can go," she told them with a smile.
"Hello Granger. I'm just down here seeking some legal advice," he explained, cleaning his throat.
"Down here?" Harry asked. "I thought you two worked on the same floor."
"No, Malfoy works up on tenth," she said.
"Oh. Oh..." Hermione could see the realization on Harry's face, and she was pretty sure Malfoy was able to as well.
"Yes, thank you, Granger." He looked pointedly at her and all she wanted to do was smile wickedly, but she just nodded.
"You're welcome. I'm going to get my things, excuse me."
She turned on her heel and walked away, surely leaving the two boys in an awkward situation.
No matter how unbeliveable this sounded now, she was determined. And when Hermione Granger was determined, great things could happen.
.
"The Magic Number: A History of Polyamory Relationships in The Wizarding World," she read the cover of the book. The Ministry library might not exist for this particular purpose, but Hermione had a lot to learn and very little time. It was a matter of days before Harry and Malfoy decided to date each other, or someone else for that matter.
She took the book along with a few more on the subject. She would read them when she got home, otherwise she wasn't going to get any work done that day.
Hermione was familiar with different types of relationships, and she considered herself open minded. But never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would one day consider being in a relationship with more than one person. But if she put aside her fears and preconceptions, it felt incredibly exciting. The more she thought about it, the more it felt was a good idea.
She spent a lot of time meditating at night, nervous about actually being able to do it. Could she handle something like this? Was she willing to risk her current relationship with them to get something that could be a potential disaster? Was there any chance at all that they would even want try?
She didn't know. All she knew was that, however great it felt to imagine dating just one of them, the feeling multiplied exponentially when she thought about both of them. So she needed to do her homework and make up her mind. Fast. But first, there was something even more important.
She needed to visit the tenth floor.
The Muggle Relations Department had completely remade the entire floor. The carpeted floor was removed and shiny wooden floors took its place. The furniture was dark and elegant, every chair lined with leather, every desk decorated with the MR logo. She was jealous, though, not surprised at all. It all had the clear mark of a particularly rich Slytherin.
"Granger," came his voice. "Nostalgic? It sure didn't look like this the last time you were here."
"Unfortunately, it looks incredible. And I hate to admit it. I think I might consider switching career directions just for those armchairs." she longed for a place to sit half as comfortable as those armchairs looked.
"Are you here to steal one, or to tell me that you want to work for me?" he joked. "Because I might need an assistant..."
"Very funny. You'd be lucky to have me in your department, but I was just wondering if you had a minute to talk," she told him, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her.
"I'm free right now. How can I help you?" He leaned against the wall casually and Hermione looked around.
"Maybe in a more private setting?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Malfoy's eyebrows shot up to his forehead and she felt her stomach flip over.
"I can't wait to hear what this is about." He whispered, his voice smooth and sweet. Hermione's insides were doing acrobatics now.
Malfoy pushed himself off the wall. "Follow me." He walked towards the end of the lobby and she was right behind him, considering the multiple ways this could go depending on how much control she could have over herself.
Malfoy's office was smaller than what she had expected, but still beautifully decorated, almost organic in its disposition. It was a full circle, half of which was all window with the wonderful view she missed. The other half were shelves brimming with books up to the ceiling. Under the shelves, a long semicircular sofa stretched along the wall, making the perfect spot for curling up with a book. In the middle of it all was his desk and two chairs. Nothing more. The energy was fresh and calming, and it actually made her feel better about the whole situation.
"Have a seat." He indicated as he sat at one side of his desk. She took the other chair and couldn't keep looking around.
"Are all of these books..." she started.
"Muggle?" he finished for her. "Yes. It's my personal collection. I used to keep it at my parents' place but as you can imagine, the very foundation of the house was disturbed. The portraits wouldn't stop yelling, my family heirlooms were out of control, and my father almost perished on the spot. Although, he has been consistently ill since I started on this field of work. But that's neither here nor there." He leaned back, looking almost ethereal against the view of the London skyline.
"Yes, of course. I, um... I wanted to ask you something. It's not a big deal, really, and you can choose not to answer if you prefer. Maybe it's completely inappropriate from my part but..."
She could see him holding back a smirk, not wanting to interrupt her but thinking he knew where this was going.
"I heard some girls gossiping a while back and I don't like to partake in that, usually, so I didn't just want to assume and I was wondering if you, um, were really pansexual?"
A flash of surprise flickered across Malfoy's eyes, but then it was gone and he was back to smirking.
"Well, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that. I don't know how those girls managed to find out, since I don't make it a public affair, but yes, Granger, I consider myself to be pansexual," he stated, not looking uncomfortable at all. If anything, he seemed even more at ease.
She nodded. "It's very interesting since it's not a term people in the magical communities tend to use, at least not here in England."
"You're correct, it's not widely popular. Is that all you wanted to ask?" He leaned forward, looking into her eyes, obviously expecting her to make a move.
"I..." She didn't know where to look that would not make her want to climb over the desk and close the distance between them. His eyes glanced down at her lips for a fraction of a second and she almost lost it. The decision was completely hers, she knew it. If she wanted to, everything could change right then. She could have what she had been longing for.
"Yes," she breathed, closing her eyes to temporarily block out the most tempting sight she had encountered in a long time. "That was all."
She opened her eyes and Malfoy was leaning back, looking a bit puzzled, but like he'd still take her if she wanted to.
"Alright. Glad I could help." His voice was hoarse and even more perfect than before. Hermione was burning from the inside out.
She stood on shaky legs. "Thank you. I'm sorry for interrupting your day."
"That's okay. Feel free to interrupt here any time." He smiled and she appreciated how safe he made her feel, even when her defenses felt crumbled.
"Goodbye Malfoy. Thank you," she called one more time as she left.
"Goodbye, Granger."
She closed the door behind her and stood frozen for a second, regaining her strength.
"Fuck..." she exhaled.
This was going to be harder than she thought.
Author's note: A huge shout out to divergentofhogwarts for being a wonderful beta and helping me with this story. As always, thanks for reading!