Chapter Seven
You are that to me, an oasis. You drug me and at the same time you give me strength. - Anaïs Nin, poet
For somebody that I thought was my savior
You sure make me do a whole lot of labor
The callous skin on my hands is cracking
If our love ends would that be a bad thing?
And the silence haunts our bed chamber
You make me do too much labor
Hermione woke up feeling unnaturally content. She was in a soft bed, securely nestled between two warm bodies, deliciously sore between her legs. That last part made her eyes snap open as memories from last night came flooding back to her.
The first thing she saw was Draco's face, relaxed and beautiful. Seriously, did he have to look that gorgeous in his sleep? It shouldn't be humanly possible to look like that, his hair was the perfect amount of mussed, his lips pink and inviting, his dark lashes stark against his alabaster skin. He looked as though he could have been carved out of marble, so ethereal was his beauty in sleep. It was honestly hard to believe that he was real.
Turning, she saw Theo at her other side, calm and looking like a slumbering Greek god with his dishevelled curls and tanned skin. He was smiling in his sleep as though he was enjoying pleasant dreams. It made her want to kiss him.
It had to be some sort of fluke that she was in bed with the two of them. They were absolutely stunning and she was painfully average. Even if they had been wanting her, once they had scratched that itch then their interest would wane obviously. There was nothing about her that was going to hold their interest long term.
She had trouble believing that they were interested in her as anything other than a friend, despite all the evidence to the contrary. What if after last night they had changed their minds? That really they just wanted to try out a witch and now that they did they would go back to being with only each other?
Would they really use her like that though? After everything they have done for her they would just toss her aside after a mindblowing shag? It hurt just thinking about it. She should leave, she needed to sort out everything that happened last night and she couldn't bear being rejected by them right now. Gods, there was so much to think about. She should probably locate Vega and head home so that she could overthink this entire situation in peace.
Her mind made up, Hermione attempted to shimmy her way down the bed, being careful so as to not jostle the mattress and awaken the two wizards. It didn't work. Of course it didn't work.
"Going somewhere?" Draco rasped, his voice deep and harsh from sleep, silver eyes opening to catch her in the act which caused her to let out a surprised squeak.
"Where are you going? We just got you," Theo mumbled sleepily.
"I, um, I- " Hermione fumbled with an explanation as she tried to cover her naked body with her hands and felt her face heat with a deep blush. The wizards must have seen the troubled look on her face because they immediately sat up.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Theo asked while Draco summoned one of his dressing robes for her. She gratefully accepted it, feeling comforted by the monogrammed black silk fabric covering her and the scent of Draco. Wonderful Draco who always knew what she needed, who was looking at her with the same concern mirrored in Theo's face as the wizards patiently awaited her answer, ready to bend to her will. How could she have doubted their intentions towards her?
"Nothing's wrong, that's the thing. Everything is perfect and that scares me," she admitted in a small voice.
"Why would that scare you?" Draco gently asked, wanting her to let him in, to trust him. She could see the way he was trying not to reach for her, his hands gripping the sheets as though he was afraid of sliding off.
"Because my life isn't perfect, it's never been. It's always been a mess. Then the two of you came in and showed me how it could be and even then I never believed it could actually be mine. But last night I overheard you talking to Blaise and I found out how you really felt about me." Hermione heard the boys suck in a breath upon her admission.
"And I feel the same way too," she confessed, reaching out for their hands. They let out a relieved breath and enveloped her hands in theirs, their grip firm, as though they were desperate to prevent her from slipping away.
"I've wanted you both all this time too. But now that I can have you, I'm scared because what if I'm not meant to have a perfect life? What if I mess this up or you decide you don't want me anymore or-"
"Hermione," Theo cut her off, "I promise you there's no universe where that's possible. You dropped into our lives and you were everything we didn't know we wanted and we don't ever want to lose you."
"This might be a lot for you to take in all at once and I understand that," Draco began, his thumb tracing circles on her knuckles. "But you need to know that we would never hurt you. We know what you've been through and all the pain others have caused you and we'd cut off our own hands before we ever did something like that to you."
Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at those words, "That sounds a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"Better get used to it, he has a thing for dramatics," Theo teased. "If you thought the incident with the hippogriff in third year was bad, you haven't seen anything yet." He said it so surely, that she would get to be a part of their lives and get to know them in ways she hadn't before.
"Hey," Draco scolded Theo in mock outrage, but the smile pulling at the corner of his lips ruined the effect. It was obvious that they were trying to set her nerves at ease, but a tremor ran through her hands despite their attempt.
"Do you really want me in your lives that way, as more than just friends?" Hermione asked, hating how timid her voice sounded.
"Yes!" Theo and Draco cried in unison, pulling her closer to nestle her in between them.
"Gods, we want you so much," Theo said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"That you're here in our bed with us feels like a dream come true," Draco added, caressing her cheeks and stroking her hair. Hermione flushed at their touches, feeling like a cherished precious thing as she sat between them in their bed. "We've talked about having you here with us so much, but this is almost beyond belief."
"I guess I've never really felt so wanted by anyone," she admitted, meeting each of their eyes in turn.
"How can we not want a witch like you?" Theo said, "You're bloody brilliant."
"Passionate about your causes," Draco continued. "And also in bed." She blushed at his words.
"Caring." Theo kissed her temple.
"Selfless." Draco brought her fingertips to his lips.
"Thoughtful." Theo traced his fingers up her neck.
"Hard working." Draco intertwined her hand with his.
"Stunning." Theo ran his thumb along her cheekbone and jaw, his touch worshipful. "Not to mention fit as fuck."
"A fantastic conversationalist," Draco added, "And you like all the things we like, good restaurants, museums, fine art."
"Okay okay! I get it!" Hermione's cheeks were flaming from the praises, no one had ever listed out her qualities that way before. "I still can't believe you think of me that way, I mean for Circe's sake, this whole time I thought you two were gay."
"We're bi actually," Draco clarified.
"And we really want you to be ours. Please Hermione, can we give this a chance? The three of us," Theo pleaded. "We could be so good together."
"I want to say yes, I want the three of us to happen…but I need some time to think first. This is a lot to take in right now and I just need to be alone for a little bit," Hermione stated.
She could feel the wizards slump a little bit, but they respected her wishes.
"Okay, we understand, take all the time you need. We'll be here for you for whatever, whenever," Draco reassured her.
"My only condition is that you don't overthink this. We want you. Don't let your mind run away and convince you otherwise," Theo implored.
"And know that you do deserve the life that you want for yourself," Draco added.
Hermione laid in her bed in her flat, her mind once again running through her memories of Draco and Theo.
Working all those years with Theo.
Being reintroduced to Draco at the Thai restaurant.
Geneva.
Helping her get out of the flat she had shared with Ron.
Being there for her in the aftermath of her breakup.
The happiest months of her life had been in their company.
And then putting together the best birthday she'd ever had.
Draco and Theo had brightened up her life, making her laugh, listening to her ramblings in earnest, taking her to all sorts of nice places in London that it felt like she was rediscovering the city all over again. They not only made her feel appreciated, they cared for her in ways that her former friends never did. For once she actually felt like herself, she didn't have to hide who she was around them or hold back or conform to some image they had of her, they actually accepted her for who she really was and encouraged her to be herself.
They weren't just fixtures in her day-to-day, they were integral and she always looked forward to seeing them. It didn't feel like work when she was researching or conducting experiments with Theo. She was disappointed on days when Draco didn't stop by their office and she had to wait another day to see him.
There were traces of them in her flat. A book Theo had lent her on her bedside table. A scarf that Draco brought her from Paris because he said it matched her eyes. His hoodie that she stole was hanging on a hook by the door. Little Vega curled up at the foot of her bed, purring as she slept.
And they never made her feel like the odd one out or the third wheel to their loving relationship, they always made sure to include her and treated her as if she were a part of them even if she was just a friend. Or so she thought.
She reviewed all these memories again through a new lens, all their actions taking on another meaning.
Going out of their way for her.
Their attention to every detail about her.
The dinners and gifts and flowers.
The flowers.
Hermione bolted upright in bed, causing Vega to wake up but the kitten merely adjusted her position and went right back to sleep. She scrambled out of her bed and looked through her books, looking for one that Neville had gifted her, aha! Herbology in the Home. She pulled the book out of the shelf and flipped through the pages, finding the chapter on flowers and their meanings. Sitting down in front of the bouquet Draco had brought her this week, she got to work on matching the flowers with the illustrations in the book.
Pink Camellia — Longing for you, Missing you.
White Iris — Admiration.
White Orchid — Love, Longing.
Pink astilbe meaning "I will be waiting for you."
She snapped the book shut and proceeded to smack her head against the hardcover.
"Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!" Punctuating each affirmation of her idiocy with a smack to the head.
They had been courting her this whole time. They were never hanging out as friends, they were always trying to win her over. No wonder the boys were confused when she wasn't reciprocating their efforts.
Merlin, that's twice now that she ignored very obvious signs, first with Ron's infidelity and now with Draco and Theo's pursuing of her. She really needed to work on picking-up social cues.
All this time they could have been together, she wasted so much potential time thinking that they didn't want her that way. She had hurt all of them because of her stupidity, denying what could have been an amazing relationship between the three of them. What did they think of her that whole time? That she really only wanted to remain friends? Did they think she was using them for their luxuries? Did they resent her for not fulfilling their expectations? Did they think she was ungrateful after everything they've done for her? Would they realise she wasn't worth the effort?
We want you. Theo's words reminded her.
You deserve the life you want for yourself. Draco's voice echoed in her mind.
Hermione knew what she wanted for herself, she wanted them. And she was going to stop denying herself what was hers.
"Vega!" Hermione swooped back into her bedroom to collect her kitten, "Come on kitty, we're going home."
Hermione apparated to the penthouse door and knocked, her raps on the wood becoming more frantic each second they didn't answer the door until finally it swung open to reveal Draco, startled by her desperate knocking, Theo coming up behind him.
"Hermione, is everything alright?" Draco stepped up to her, concerned eyes looking at her up and down, wondering what her urgency was at this time of night.
"Yes, everything is fine and thank you for letting me have my alone time but now I would really like to be able to yours, if you'll still have me," Hermione said.
Draco and Theo beamed in happiness at her words.
"Get in here," Draco swept her off her feet and carried her bridal style through the door, Theo waiting to receive her on the other side.
The workday seemed to be dragging on for Hermione as she and Theo ploughed through stacks of ancient books and scrolls of parchment for their research. She stifled another yawn and rolled her shoulders back, Theo absentmindedly reached out to her and rubbed his thumb at the back of her neck, drawing firm circles on the muscles there while continuing to take notes. Hermione leaned into the touch, letting him work at the knot there, glad that their office was all their own so that she could enjoy his touches while at work as they sat side-by-side.
A content moan slipped out of Hermione's lips and she covered her mouth in embarrassment. Theo finally looked up from his readings and flashed her a smirk.
"No need to be shy around me. It's not like I didn't hear that lovely sound last night, it was much louder then, and more drawn out," Theo leaned in closer to her, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear and causing her to shiver both from the sensation of his breath on her skin and the memory of what she, Theo and Draco had gotten up to last night. It was probably why she was so tired today.
They had been officially dating for several weeks now but had decided to keep it away from the public eye, only their close friends and Draco's mother knew. They were not in the mood to have the Prophet scrutinise their new relationship and wanted to enjoy it in private. That being said, as much as Hermione loved the affectionate touches Theo bestowed upon her at work in their office, she was still nervous at being caught, not wanting to risk violating a Ministry policy and having their higher-ups separate them.
"Theo, we're working," she whined when Theo's fingers began caressing her neck, torn between letting him continue and wanting to keep things respectable during work hours.
"I think we deserve a break," Theo rumbled against her ear.
Just then, their office door swung open and Hermione jumped away from him. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Draco, bearing some much needed coffee cups from their favourite cafe. The blonde wizard had absolutely seen their close proximity and smirked at them.
"Hard at work, my swots?" Draco donned a shit-eating grin as he closed the door behind him and approached them at their desk.
"Of course, our witch always keeps us on task," Theo winked at him, a similar grin teasing the corners of his mouth.
"Then I better not be a distraction lest she reprimand me later," Draco gave her a heated look that caused her to flush.
Hermione shook off the thoughts which were very much inappropriate for a workplace, "You are a welcomed distraction Draco, especially when you come bearing gifts," she smiled appreciatively at her wizard for bringing them coffees.
"If it's gifts you want, I'll gladly shower you with them," Draco said, handing Hermione her latte and leaning in for a kiss. Hermione rolled her eyes at the comment as she had repeatedly had to curb his natural tendency towards excess when it came to gift giving. She certainly wasn't used to his ostentatious wealth and ability just to pop out and buy her a first edition of Pride and Prejudice or to bring home a selection of priceless jewels from the Black or Malfoy vaults when he "just happened" to have all the curses removed from them. Hermione wasn't sure that she would ever get used to how ridiculously wealthy her boyfriends were.
However Hermione was eager to give Draco a kiss as she had missed him, despite the fact that they'd only been at work a little more than a half day.
"What about me?" Theo was nearly pouting.
"Wait your turn," Draco chastised playfully and kissed his wizard after handing him his drink.
"I better run along back home to Vega, she did very well this morning at the vet," Draco informed them and Hermione smiled adoringly at the mention of her growing kitten. "I'll see you both later."
"Bye, Draco, thank you," Hermione said as he departed the office.
"You know, it's been hours since we kissed," Theo was leaning in close to her again, sapphire eyes looking at her a little too lustfully for an office space.
"Theo, we're at work," Hermione reminded him, darting her eyes towards the closed door.
"But you gave Draco a kiss," Theo pointed out.
"Yes, but Draco isn't my colleague." Hermione tried to lean backwards away from him, so worried that someone would walk in.
Theo's brows wrinkled in what Hermione thought was an adorably comical look of confusion, although she would not be telling him so.
"I'm a little lost," Theo confided. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Because if the department finds out we're together we'll get in trouble and they'll reassign us different partners," Hermione stated the obvious.
"Uh, no we won't, they wouldn't care," Theo said, looking more confused at her reasoning.
"Of course they would! There's policies everywhere about co-worker relationships," Hermione said.
"Not in the Department of Mysteries," Theo informed her with a shrug.
"Do you really expect me to believe that the department with the most restrictions in the entire Ministry isn't going to enforce some code of conduct on its employees?" Hermione scoffed incredulously.
"Those restrictions are regarding our work, but not us Unspeakables. We don't actually have any policies regarding each other or our colleagues. Have you ever noticed that there's no H.R. office down here?" Theo asked.
"Well no I haven't, I've never needed to go to one," Hermione thought back to her Ministry tours when she was first hired.
"That's because the Department doesn't care, with the nature of our work we wouldn't get anything done if we had those kinds of policies down here. As long as we meet our deadlines, don't die or kill anyone and, of course, keep everything we do confidential, we pretty much have free reign to do whatever amongst ourselves," Theo explained.
"So there's really no workplace rules for Unspeakables? Not even for relationships?" Hermione was in awe.
"Nope. I could make love to you in the middle of the Amortentia fountain in the Love Room and they wouldn't bat an eye. The Unspeakables there would probably take copious notes and then curse us out for contaminating the potion when we're done, if we're done," Theo winked at her and Hermione blushed at the scenario he described, wondering what they were capable of under the influence of copious amounts of the strong love potion, academically speaking, of course.
"So I can really kiss you?" she asked, feeling foolish for not knowing how her own department functioned.
Theo answered her question with a searing kiss, grabbing her face and putting all doubts out of her head.
"That and so much more," Theo breathed against her lips, "Just wait until I bend you over this desk. I've been dying to do it for ages."
Hermione smacked his arm to get him to shut up, her knickers were already ruined and if he kept talking she'd have to transfigure a new pair to get through the rest of the day.
"So violent," he nipped at her lips.
"You love it," she quipped, returning to her notes.
"I do." Theo's voice dripped with desire and Hermione pressed her thighs together, attempting desperately to focus.
Dinner was delicious at the upscale French bistro they picked for their Tuesday night date. Hermione leaned back happily in her chair after their plates were cleared and was looking forward to the crème brûlée they had ordered for dessert.
Draco draped an arm around her shoulders, his fingers stroking featherlight touches at the freckles there. Theo was sitting across from her and had nudged his foot playfully against hers. Hermione bit her lip and dragged her heeled foot up his leg and with a smirk he reached under and caught it, propping her foot upon his knee and caressing her ankle, the entire act hidden by the white tablecloth draped over the table.
"What are my naughty loves up to?" Draco teased, having noticed their mischievous smiles and the blush that Hermione was sure coloured her cheeks.
"Nothing," Hermione and Theo answered in unison and hiding their smiles behind their drinks.
"Excuse me," a voice interrupted them, they turned to see a tall, lithe stunning blonde woman had approached their table.
"Sorry to intrude but my friend over there has not stopped talking about you all evening but is too shy to say anything," the woman said to Theo, and pointed over to her table where another gorgeous woman sat, acting a little embarrassed at her friend's boldness and hiding her face behind her hands but eyeing Theo expectantly.
"So if you're done with your friends maybe you could join us?" The first woman was leaning in to show her cleavage. A wave of jealousy hit Hermioneand her face contorted to a scowl. She felt Draco's fingers press into her shoulder, also displeased at the unwelcome advances.
Theo politely averted his eyes from the display the woman was putting on for him. "Sorry, but I'm not interested," he declined the invitation, his grip on Hermione's ankle did nothing to put her at ease.
The woman was a little put off, clearly used to getting her way because of her beauty. "Are you sure? Then perhaps we could exchange numbers and arrange for something on another night? My friend and I know lots of fun places," her voice had turned sultry, it was obvious what she was offering.
"My boyfriend said no," Hermione said tersely, unable to keep quiet any longer. The woman turned to her, offended that she would even speak to her yet alone sabotage her efforts to snatch Theo.
"Your boyfriend?" The woman scoffed sceptically, eyeing Hermione up and down and then at Draco's arm around her.
"Yes, so you can understand why I'm not interested," Theo said, reaching across the table to lace Hermione's fingers with his own. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're interrupting our date so I recommend that you look elsewhere to form your own threesome," Hermione snarked dismissively.
The woman was flabbergasted but ultimately turned around back to her table where her friend was wondering what the hell was going on.
"Mmm, I love it when our lioness shows her claws," Draco leaned in to kiss her deeply. "If you hadn't I would have," he purred against her lips.
Theo laughed deeply. "It's probably better that you said something, love. Our dragon gets a bit possessive. He's even growled once or twice."
"It's all in the name," Draco smirked. "I can't help it if someone wants to put their hands on what's mine. And the two of you are definitely mine." He nipped lightly at Hermione's earlobe where the diamond studs he'd given her earlier hung, marking her as his as well.
At that moment the crème brûlée had arrived, but Hermione was no longer in the mood for it. Not even the way Theo expertly tapped at the layer of crispy sugar with a would-have-been satisfying crack made her eager for it. And when the wizard waved a spoonful in front of her face to feed her, she turned her head away.
"No, I don't want it anymore," she said sulkily.
"Now, now, you're not going to let some desperate woman ruin the rest of our evening, are you?" Theo said, not retreating with the spoon. "Come on, it's your favourite."
"Be a good girl and eat your dessert," Draco demanded in a low voice, his other hand slipping under the tablecloth to grab at her inner-thigh, "And when we get home we'll give you a nice reward. I think you deserve it."
Heat rose to Hermione's cheeks and she obeyed, her mind whirling with possibilities of what Draco meant by reward; she leaned forward to eat the spoonful of custard Theo offered her.
"That's our good girl," Theo grinned, his hand that had been caressing her ankle trailed up her calves. Then he licked the spoon, polishing off the creamy remnants she left behind, from the corner of her eye Hermione could see the two women whispering frantically to each other as they stared at them.
"Draco?" Theo then offered a spoonful to the blonde wizard who leaned in to eat from it. The arm that was around Hermione's shoulder snaking down lower until the tips of his fingers were tapping at her nipple through her blouse, so subtly no one would know what he was doing, except of course for Hermione who bit back a moan, her sensitive nipples hardening at the touch.
Theo once again licked the spoon when Draco had taken his bite. "Delicious," he said, his eyes darkening in desire as his eyes flickered between his two partners.
Hermione felt a deep ache in-between her legs and she tried to squeeze her thighs together to relieve some of the pressure building there but her wizards' hold on her prevented that. Draco grazed his hand up her inner-thigh, inching closer to her core.
"Open wide," Draco whispered in her ear, and Hermione complied, allowing Theo to spoon feed her again at the same time Draco's fingers reached her soaking knickers, causing her to moan.
"Yes, the dessert is very good, isn't it? The sooner you finish it, the sooner we can go home," Draco reminded her. Hermione whimpered under their attention, needing release that was building up quickly. She rolled her hips slightly to create some friction against Draco's touch, but to her dismay he drew back.
"You know the rules, love, your orgasms are only for us to see," Draco tsked. "If you want one you know what you have to do."
Theo squeezed at her calves, drawing her attention back to the task of finishing the damn crème brûlée. She barely paid any mind to the loud scrape of a chair as one of the women abruptly stood up, unable to handle the display they were putting on after she had been rejected, and ran off towards the bathroom, while the other woman sat seething.
Dessert finished and check settled, the boys put on a show of helping her out of her chair, into her coat and escorting her out of the restaurant, Hermione was grateful for that last part as she was wobbly on her knees after all that teasing. She was pouting like a child by the time they arrived at the penthouse but the boys were ravishing her as soon as they crossed the threshold. They might be terrible teases in public, but they more than made up for it in private, a fact that she was learning to appreciate more and more every day.
"Hermione Granger Spotted With Engagement Ring! Who Is the Lucky Wizard?"
By Rita Skeeter
Readers will be shocked to know that war heroine and Golden Girl, Hermione Granger, was seen out and about in Diagon Alley this past weekend wearing a dazzling engagement ring! Which now begs the question: Who is Hermione Granger's fiance?
Granger has not been seen dating anyone since her past relationship with Ronald Weasley, who is currently in the middle of a divorce case with his estranged wife Parvati Weasley (née Patil) as the Prophet has been diligently covering (see pg. 4 for the latest sordid updates). It is difficult to know what has become of Granger's life since her own breakup with Weasley as the witch has led a notoriously private life, sightings of her have been limited to her daily commutes through the Ministry Atrium with occasional appearances at the Alley. Even her friendship with Harry Potter was lost after the breakup, and she has not been seen with her fellow members of the Golden Trio nor the Weasley family for obvious reasons. She has however been seen in company with former Dumbledore's Army members, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, both of whom refused to comment for this piece, to this humble writer's chagrin.
What was once thought to be a scorned witch avoiding the public eye in her heartbreak with Weasley is now an intriguing tale of romance as she has found a wizard for herself. And who is this lucky man? Discerning readers will be able to see that Miss Granger is wearing a black diamond which was once a very popular engagement stone amongst Purebloods in previous generations. Has Miss Granger snagged herself a member of the Sacred 28?
We can only wait and hope to see this new beau. (For wizards previously linked to Miss Granger and where they are now, see pg. 6).
"So while it is an ungentlemanly thing to do to leave a party with a witch you didn't come with, Blaise clearly earned an exception to that rule, and we can all agree that it must be the second best decision he has ever made in his life, the first being to marry his beautiful bride. So Blaise, Luna, congratulations on your union and may your marriage be a happy one. To the new couple," Theo toasted, clearly enjoying his best wizard role for the day as well as the undivided attention.
"To the new couple," the wedding guests raised their glasses of champagne at the end of the speech. The clinking of glass flutes tinkled around the Zabini vineyard in Tuscany where the wedding reception was being held following the binding ceremony.
Blaise looked at Luna as though she was the only witch in the world, and she looked just as enamoured. Her pale yellow dress was covered in dozens of embroidered butterflies that looked so real that Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if any of them had taken off. The bride's flower garland had already attracted real butterflies a couple of times over the course of the afternoon.
Draco downed his champagne and then discreetly swapped his now empty glass with Hermione's untouched one. They shared secretive smirks at the exchange and Draco's thumb drew circles where his hand rested at her waist, reaching ever so slightly for her still flat belly. Theo returned to Draco and Hermione to take his seat for the dinner service.
"The speech was wonderful, you did amazing," Hermione cheered her wizard when he sat down at her other side.
"Thank you. And I do hope you're pacing yourself, we still have a long day ahead," Theo winked towards Draco's empty champagne glass she still held.
"Oh, but drunk Hermione is always a treat," Neville joked from across their table where he sat with Pansy.
"Will I finally get to see a drunk Granger?" Astoria chimed in, clapping her hands excitedly at the prospect.
"We'll see, as you have noticed I have two bores for wizards," Hermione teased, not wanting to admit that the answer to that question was a firm no.
"C'mon now, it's a wedding in Italy, let the witch live a little," Goyle reprimanded his fellow Slytherins, an arm around Astoria and squeezing her playfully.
"You're not the one who has to take care of her when she can barely stand up," Draco said.
"Salazar forbid we disturb a Malfoy's peace," Goyle raised his hands in mock surrender.
"I'll know peace when that Weasley divorce gets settled, reading that name nearly everyday on the front page is not how I want to start my days," Pansy quipped in annoyance.
Hermione snorted at the comment but agreed with her friend. She was tired of hearing about Ron's long drawn-out and messy divorce, because of course Ron would continue to make a mess out of his life. So many things were revealed during the divorce case that Parvati was fighting for. Apparently, Ron developed a drinking problem, which led to a gambling problem, which led to creditors knocking on their door to collect what they were owed. That was on top of his frivolous spending that was burning a hole in her trust fund;Parvati had had enough of it all and filed for a divorce. But Ron refused because he "didn't want their child to grow up in a broken home." That led to having to bring in the Patil house elf to give testimony that Ron was an absent and neglectful father with "no respect for his own home." Ron disputed those claims on the grounds that the house elf was biassed towards Parvati. Then he went on to sue Parvati for removing him from her accounts when they still weren't officially divorced. It was an endless stream of unnerving behaviour that had Hermione habitually ripping off the front page every morning just to read the rest of the Prophet in peace. He hadn't been her problem for a long time and the last thing she wanted to do was read about him. The only thing she missed from that life were her godchildren and she was not expecting Harry to make any atonements to her anytime soon.
"He certainly didn't take long to fuck that up," Draco jibed.
"I quite enjoyed his other fuck ups though," Theo leaned in toward Hermione to place a kiss at her temple. "Perhaps I'll send him a thank you bouquet." Hermione smacked him lightly on the arm, earning a smile that was just for her.
The wedding reception carried on, it was lovely with good food and music and dancing, everyone celebrating the loving couple who continued to only have eyes for each other.
It was early evening when Hermione sat back down gratefully after dancing through several sets. Draco and Theo weren't too far, they hovered around her even more ever since they found out she was pregnant, to the point where sometimes she had to bat them away to feel some sense of independence. They hadn't announced the pregnancy to anyone, not wanting to upstage the newly married couple. At first they had joked that Signora Zabini would have been severely cross with them for taking the spotlight away from her son and new daughter-in-law, and then they decided it was best to not entertain the possibility of falling out of favour with that particular witch. Her fearsome reputation was well-earned.
"Alright my love?" Draco asked, handing her a glass of gillywater.
"Yes, just tired, good thing I took that nausea potion, probably would have missed half of all this if I hadn't," Hermione said, keeping her voice low so that only her wizards could hear her.
"Do you want to leave early? We still haven't tried out the tub in our suite," Theo offered, his hand at her waist and stroking at her side, subtly reaching for her belly the same as Draco did.
"I think I can manage, I just need to rest for a little bit," Hermione reassured them. She looked on at the wonderful party, the guests cheerily talking and dancing, Madam Hooch and Professor Sinistra spinning around the dance floor, eyes clearly only for each other. Now there was a couple she hadn't known about at all.
Unable to keep her curiosity at bay, Hermione asked, "Pansy, do you know whether Hooch and Sinistra are here together?"
"Oh yeah, they've been together since before you and I were born," Pansy answered with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't you know?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Just like McGonagall and Pomfrey," Neville added.
"I'm sorry what?" Hermione felt whiplashed by that piece of news, how the fuck could she not have known that? Was she completely blind to it all or was the Hogwarts staff really good at keeping their lives private from their students?
"And then Pomona was their third for years, their breakup is the reason she retired," Neville continued.
Let it be known that Hermione Granger was not the most brilliant witch when it came to social cues, Hermione thought to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Speaking of which," Neville continued. "You are speaking to the new Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, but it's still very hush hush. The Headmistress is going to announce it at the Welcome Feast, but I have to tell someone besides Pansy." He smiled widely, clearly excited to be returning to Hogwarts as a professor.
"Oh Neville, that's wonderful. Congratulations! You'll be amazing!" Hermione smiled.
"And we are going to open a Hogsmeade location of the flower shop so I can be closer to the castle," Pansy grinned.
"Can we expect an invitation to your wedding soon, Pans?" Theo asked with a smile.
"We'll see," Pansy smiled secretively, her fingers interlacing with Neville's who pulled her to her feet to take another spin around the dance floor.
The Zabini wedding would be the first of many now, though it would be difficult to top it. Celebrating in the beautiful vineyards of Italy alone made it the event of the decade, even Minister Shacklebolt was there as Blaise was the Department Head for Magical Sports and Games.
Hermione glanced down at her engagement ring, the stunning black diamond shining even in the waning light. They hadn't given much thought to their own wedding yet, but if Draco was put in charge of it he would undoubtedly scheme up something much more opulent than the Zabini's. It would take time to organise it and she wanted to be married soon, take her wizards' surnames before the baby was born, and the thought of being pregnant during whatever grandeur Draco would inevitably cook up exhausted her already.
"Can we elope for our wedding?" Hermione pondered aloud.
"Hmm, as long as Mum comes as our witness, I think it will be okay," Draco considered the idea, his long fingers tapping on the table.
"The last thing we want is to start our marriage with Narcissa upset with us," Theo added seriously, his normal playful demeanour entirely absent. Hermione understood the shift in tone, she got along splendidly with Narcissa, despite her health issues the woman doted on her as much as Draco while; dropping numerous hints about wanting a grandchild, but she could give a verbal dressing-down that made a grown adult feel like a naughty child.
Hermione glanced over to where the Malfoy matriarch stood, chatting with Signora Zabini and Minister Shacklebolt. As though she sensed them talking about her, Narcissa peered over at the three of them, giving them a look as though she knew what they were discussing and it made Hermione shudder.
Yes, it would be best to not upset their child's future grandmother. Hopefully announcing her imminent grandchild along with the plan to elope would soften the blow.
Hermione nodded in agreement and put her head on Draco's shoulder. Theo ran his fingers along the exposed curve of her neck.
"Come on my loves, let's head up to bed," he murmured.
"What about that huge bath?" Hermione asked, her voice coming out more tired than she'd thought she was; the long day and early stages of pregnancy had completely sapped her energy.
"It will still be there in the morning," Draco soothed, kissing her on the temple.
"Do you promise?" Hermione asked, well aware that she wasn't asking about the tub.
"Always, Granger, always." Draco's smile of reassurance warmed her down to her soul and she let Theo pull her up into his arms.
"I'd carry you out of here like a bride, but that's sure to attract attention, my sleepy princess," Theo teased. "But if you make it to the lift, I'll carry you the rest of the way."
"Do you promise?" she asked again.
"Do you ever doubt me?" Theo laughed and kissed her lightly. And Hermione couldn't imagine her life without the two of them, holding her up, supporting her, loving her. What a difference a year and a half could make. She'd never felt more loved and valued as she did now. Theo and Draco made her feel so treasured.
"Never," she whispered in response, kissing him one more time.
Fin.
Authors' Note: Thanks for joining us on this little journey inspired by a song. Both Sobsinashell and Ceilidhchaos primarily write Dreomione and you can find more of both their work on a03.