HELLO! HI!
I am SO sorry it's been so long since I updated this, but honestly the number of times I've written and re-written this chapter is ridiculous. I will definitely try not to leave you all hanging so for long again, and I really, really hope you enjoy this chapter! The number of people that are following this story now is absolutely crazy. Crazy I tell you. Mind blowing. THANK you all so much!
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line belongs to me.
For Anna, a constant joy in my life, and I hope when she reads this chapter that it makes her smile, even if it's just a little bit xxx
Previously...
"Granger-" Draco in all of his glory stood in the doorway, halting in whatever what he was about to say when he saw the other two girls under Hermione's sheets with her. Hermione saw the lazy grin that crept onto the blond boy's face and she groaned internally. "Well, good morning."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Draco chuckled, leaning on the door frame.
"Malfoy, get out before I have to explain to my sister why she won't be able to have children," Daphne said nonchalantly.
Draco opened his mouth to respond, raising a finger, when Hermione deftly tossed one of her pillows straight at him; it would have hit him directly in his face had he not ducked at the last second. Hermione glared at the blond as she watched the pillow sail over his head and land a few feet behind him with a soft thump.
"Waffles anyone?" Draco winked at the three women as he straightened himself out again, his hands slipping into his trouser pockets. Hermione hated how relaxed and confident he looked as he turned on his heel and headed out of sight.
"I'll go deal with it," Hermione said, and before she over thought it, she leaned down and pulled Daphne in for a short but deep kiss.
Hermione threw back the sheets and carefully crawled over Luna-dropping a quick kiss on her forehead-she fixed the sheets back in place when she she was completely out of the bed. Hermione smiled as Luna scooted towards the other blonde, who wrapped the tinier witch in her embrace.
Hermione quickly ducked into her closet, throwing on an oversized old Quidditch jersey of Ron's and not caring that she was only in her knickers underneath it, she exited the closet.
Hermione moved to leave but she glanced over her shoulder, and when her eyes met Daphne's, the blonde winked at her before closing her eyes and snuggling further into the sheets.
"Daphne?"
"Mmm," the girl hummed, her eyes still closed.
"You can both grab whatever you want out of my closet to wear whenever you're ready."
"Thanks, Hermione," Daphne yawned lightly.
Hermione was sitting on her kitchen counter next to the sink, watching with careful eyes as Draco moved back and forth. She had stalked out of her room, and when she found Draco she poked him-hard-in the chest. He merely grinned at her and began busying himself about her kitchen.
Daphne and Luna were now curled up together on the loveseat in the living room. Daphne was leaning back against the loveseat arm, legs open wide enough for Luna to fit in between them, the smaller girl was lying against Daphne's front, head on the other girl's chest. Daphne was stroking Luna's head-who was currently telling Daphne about a charm she had been working on, she was so close to figuring it out.
"Last night went well then I assume," Draco said suddenly, he had been quiet up until now. A light frown brushed across his brow as he peered into her ice box. "Do you not have any milk, Granger?"
"Towards the back on the right-"
"Found it!" Draco exclaimed proudly.
"Good for you, what are you doing, Malfoy?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I told you we were going to have Brunch, I never said where," Draco responded simply, folding up his long sleeved shirt to above his elbows, removing his rings and tucking them into his pocket. Hermione pursed her lips in appreciation. Draco was a very attractive man, and it was alright to look wasn't it? His features were a bit sharp and he was still too thin after the War, but he looked like he had healthily gained back some weight, most likely Astoria's doing.
"Think you're so clever, don't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes, putting away any thoughts of how nice Draco's arse looked in his fitted, well tailored trousers.
"Oh, Granger, I know I am," Draco smirked smugly, licking a bit of the batter he had started to make off of his finger.
Hermione rolled her eyes, hopping off of the counter and strolling over to Luna and Daphne, sitting cross-legged on the ground next to the loveseat, her forehead falling onto the lip of the piece of furniture. Letting out a heavy sigh as she rubbed absently at her temples.
"Just breathe, Hermione, Draco is making waffles...it can't be that bad," Daphne murmured, and Hermione felt slender fingers start to move over her curls, stroking her head and somehow not getting tangled in her unruly curls in the process.
"I guess not," Hermione angled her face towards the two blondes, a weak smile on her face. I guess not.
Brunch was a rather quick, and thankfully painless venture. Draco didn't make any of the suggestive jokes she thought he would. Instead he asked Luna questions about the various creatures she was planning on leaving for a couple months to go and find and study. A pang rang through Hermione at the thought of being without the quirky blonde for extended periods of time, and she supposed Daphne had felt the same way since she reached under the table and tightly laced her fingers with Hermione's.
Draco didn't seem to mind that they hadn't gone out somewhere fancy to celebrate his acceptance into the healer program, actually, he appeared to be quite pleased with how things had turned out.
When the time came for the girls and Draco to leave-after helping tidy up and making sure they had all of their things-Hermione kissed both of the girls goodbye, surprised at how natural it felt to do so, and she waved until they were out of sight. She shut her door with a soft click, locking it before she turned around, her back pressed into the wood and she slowly slid down to the ground. Feeling utterly exhausted.
One thing was for certain, she needed to tell them about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. She honestly wasn't sure how they were going to react, but they were her confidants, and hopefully they would understand. Gosh I hope they understand, Hermione groaned internally, rubbing her hands up and down her face in frustration. I really do.
Hermione nervously took a small sip of the aromatic tea that Harry had provided. She was pleasantly surprised by that development, she would have thought that the two boys living on their own would have basic English Breakfast tea bags and nothing else. However Harry had opened up the cupboard and showed her a plethora of tea bags and different blends. She had opted for a small pot of mint green tea.
She had been here for almost half an hour, sitting in one of metal chairs harry and Ron had around a small round table on their short, but long balcony. There was enough room for maybe one or two more people out here, but anything more would make it cramped and uncomfortable. There was a small potted plant in the corner, with a vibrant red flower and its' vines were moving around it like ribbons in the wind. Ron caught her looking at it and explained that Neville had given it to them a little while back.
Their flat wasn't too big, or too extravagant, both wizards had wanted to live on the simpler side after everything they had gone through, so there were two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and they shared a bathroom.
Harry had already expressed his excitement at starting at Hogwarts come the new school term, and he had proudly brought out the official letter from Minerva before he ducked back inside with it, clinging to it as if it was an invaluable object that he simply couldn't part with.
Ron mentioned briefly a few minutes after she arrived that he was thinking about putting a down payment on a small cottage in the countryside; Harry recently found out that his grandparents Dorea and Charlus Potter had owned a manor not too far from where Ron was considering, and whilst he had been unsure at first, he was planning on finding the manor and living there.
"I'm telling you, mate, the cannons are going to make a comeback this year," Ron insisted, and Hermione rolled her eyes. It was almost impossible to stop them when they got going when it came to Quidditch, so she hastily interjected before Harry could respond.
"I'm seeing...well, not someone, more like I'm seeing two people," Hermione rambled, tripping over her words as she felt her face heat up. Both wizards were frozen, Harry's mouth half open and a his index finger was raised in Ron's direction; evidently he had intended to respond to Ron's statement before Hermione had left both of them gobsmacked.
"T-t-two people?" Ron sputtered, eyes wide.
"Daphne and Luna?" Harry guessed astutely, pushing his glasses further back onto the bridge of his nose, scratching his left nostril unconsciously afterwards.
"Daphne Greengrass and Luna Lovegood?" Ron asked, eyes widened with every word, "both of them?"
"Those are their last names, yes, Ronald, and yes both of them," Hermione sighed, placing her tea cup on the table, and sitting up straighter; she crossed one knee over the other and laced her fingers together and grasped her knee cap.
"I didn't even know you were into...girls," Ron's voice dropped a few octaves as the last words fell from his lips, the tips of his ears burning red.
Hermione pursed her lips, well...I like...both? Hermione asked herself mentally, but outwardly she said, "it's complicated."
"I'll bet...are you...happy?" Ron asked cautiously.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, but then thought of the previous evening, and how there was never a dull moment with the other two girls, they made a warmth bloom in her chest, and they both challenged her in different ways. "Yes, I am," Hermione said firmly with a small nod, a smile breaking out onto her face.
Hermione then recounted the events that had occurred over the past few months, starting with that first meeting with all three of them gathered in that small classroom, all the way until that very morning. She skipped some of the more intimate details, which she could tell they appreciated, but whilst Ron was sitting there, mouth slightly ajar, dumfounded; Harry had a vastly different expression on his face.
"Stop."
"Stop what?" Harry smirked, his face was in his hand, propped up by his elbow that was on the table.
"Your smugness is radiating off of you in droves," Hermione rolled her eyes, reaching up to scratch at an itch on the left side of her neck. "I have to deal with one egotistical wizard already on a quite frequent basis, please don't make me have to deal with two."
"You're glowing," Ron whispered softly in awe.
"I beg your pardon?" Hermione's brow knitted together tightly.
"Whilst you were talking about them-Daphne and Luna-you started to glow softly. It's hard to describe," Ron cocked his head to the side, mouth twisted in concentration.
"So what next?" Harry leaned back in his chair, fingers toying with the bit of string with the small paper label attached to the end of his teabag that was hanging over the side of his white, ceramic cup.
"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip.
"I mean, as long as you're happy, I'm good," Ron added after a few moments of comfortable silence.
"I completely agree," Harry said hurriedly.
"Thank you both," Hermione smiled warmly, reaching out to grasp one of their hands each, squeezing tightly once she had a firm grip on them both. "I love you."
"I love you too, Hermione," the boys both chimed simultaneously, and for some reason that set the trio off into a short fit of laughter.
Hermione was glad she had told them, she was ecstatic that they hadn't freaked out, and that they were accepting of her unconventional relationship.
As the sun set, painting the building in its' vibrant reds, oranges, purples and yellows the three friends sat, joked, laughed and simply enjoyed each other's presence. It was a long time since they had all just relaxed with each other. Not worrying about surviving or the outcomes of war, or school, just simply sitting and revelling in each other. Hermione thought that she couldn't be happier in that moment if she tried, everything seemed to be going right and she wouldn't have changed a thing.
If she knew what was going on miles away in the countryside at that exact moment, she may not have been so inclined, but she couldn't possibly know in that moment. Know that not everyone was so accepting of their relationship.
"Do you mind explaining this?" Hyperion Greengrass asked coldly, looming over his daughter, throwing a folder onto his desk in front of her.
Daphne was sitting, back rigid, one hand neatly placed over the other in her lap, her ankles crossed and her legs tucked under the chair. She swallowed jerkily as she looked at the plethora of pictures that were enclosed in the folder that her Father had flipped open a moment after throwing it down.
"Nothing to say?"
Daphne wanted to snap that it was pretty self explanatory, but she held her tongue. He was furious, and it wouldn't bode well for her to upset him any further.
"Dear, Narcissa has invited us all over for dinner-" Laurel Greengrass started when she suddenly entered her husband's study. Daphne was a spitting image of her Mother, with the exception that her Mother had bluish-grey eyes, and Laurel was several inches taller than her daughter.
"Not now, Laurel."
"What? What is it?" Laurel frowned, heels clicking against the hardwood floors as she walked towards her husband and eldest daughter. She froze when she saw the pictures that were strewn across the desk, but she didn't react otherwise. What she was thinking Daphne had no idea, but she refused to properly look at her Mother, much less ask her how she felt about the whole thing.
"Our daughter is currently engaged in intimate relations with Potter's best friend, Hermione Granger and Xenophilius Lovegood's daughter," Hyperion drawled lazily, and the hand that was grasping the edge of his desk tightened on the dark stained wood, his knuckles turning white. "Isn't that right, Daphne my sweet?"