Edited 5/26/23: Minor Grammar/Spelling.

Really coming in on the wire over here. I came straight home from work and took a lonnng nap, but didn't have any time to draft a chapter today at lunch, so it's a bit all over the place I think. I think Hermione was picking up on my mood. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 26, 1998

That morning, Hermione woke up with a splitting headache and felt like she hadn't slept a wink. She begrudgingly forced herself out of bed and dragged herself to the bathroom to get ready. Theo was hovering around her, but even him being in the bathroom was getting on her last nerve. Finally she turned to him, "Theodore. Please go get ready in our room. I'm super tired and I cannot handle you right now."

While the man in question looked a little hurt, Hermione couldn't help but notice that he looked a little relieved to have the out. She looked at herself in the mirror one more time, and rolled her eyes at her hair that was refusing to participate. Sometimes her hair felt semi-sentient. The coils and curls seemed to match her mood, and today her curls were everywhere and her braids were frizzing dramatically. She huffed and tied a scarf around the whole thing, hoping that it would stay in place for the whole day.

When they arrived at Headquarters, Andromeda and Narcissa were joined by Kingsley and Remus. Theo was asked to stay and Harry joined them as well. Hermione felt a little bad when she saw Harry and Ginny's awkward interactions, she hadn't had time or energy to talk to Harry about how he was feeling, and she really didn't have it in her to have that conversation today.

"Today, we will learn to dance!" Narcissa called, clapping her hands. She held out a hand to Kingsley and they performed a traditional waltz for the assembled group. When they'd completed their turn, Narcissa turned to them all. "Now all of you have different levels of experience, so we will have you rotating through partners throughout the morning. The most complex dance requires four couples and that is why we've asked Remus and Kinsley to join us."

The morning was painful. Hermione usually soaked up knowledge like a sponge, but it felt like no matter what she did, everything grated on her nerves and her headache wouldn't abate. When they'd learned the basics to every dance, they broke for lunch. Hermione grabbed a plate and made her way to their bedroom at Headquarters to eat where she could be alone. She revelled in the silence. It felt like it had been non-stop all month and she was exhausted.

"Alright, love?" Theo asked softly from the doorway.

"No," she whispered. "I'm so tired and I'm so wrung out emotionally. We've done so much since the Battle of Hogwarts, I don't even feel like we've had enough time to grieve. Is there any way we can get out of the afternoon dance lessons? I'm quite tired and am hoping a nap will help."

He looked at her pensively. Hermione didn't feign ill, she usually pushed herself past the point of no return and only stopped when her body literally couldn't take anymore. "I'll talk to Narcissa and Andromeda and let them know that you're not feeling well. Don't worry, love, I'm going to take you home."

Hermione felt herself collapse inward in relief. She didn't think one day would really be enough to refill her tank, but it had to be better than this feeling. Theo returned a few minutes later and stretched out his hand to her. She got up and grasped his hand, followed him to the apparition point.

They landed in their bedroom at Mitternacht and Theo summoned Gertie. "Gertie, can you get Hermione and I a pot of tea?"

"And can you see if my cosy pyjamas are clean?" Hermione asked, quietly.

"I will gets them, Master, Mistress," Gertie said sharply, apparating away. A few minutes later, Hermione was bundled in bed, in her Granger Family Dentistry tshirt and fuzzy pyjama shorts.

Theo was hovering at the end of the bed and made to leave, when Hermione burst out crying. He rushed over and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm so tired," she sobbed. "I just want to be with you and Draco. I want to be a teenager and get to make stupid choices like my Muggle friends are doing at eighteen. I want to go to University and change my mind on what I want to study and be able to make silly trip plans and I want to show you Martinique and make you eat spicy foods without telling you and watch your faces turn red."

Theo stroked her back as he pressed her face into his neck. "Well then we'd better get this war won," he murmured when her sobs slowed down. "I plan on doing all those things and showing you off as the newest Lady Nott at all the events I can. Last year Draco and I couldn't stop coming up with all the scenarios that would upset our Father's involving you. Let's just rest for a bit and maybe you'll feel better when we wake up?"

Hermione found herself drifting off soon afterwards. She opened her eyes, when she felt the bed dip behind her. Her head was resting on Theo's stomach as he read and she felt Draco envelope her from behind. Her magic seemed to settle for the first time since she'd woken up that morning. She'd been feeling like a stretched rubber band and when Draco joined them in bed, she felt all the tension leave her.

"Welcome home, amor," Theo said softly. "Oh- did you two feel that?" he asked.

"I wasn't sure what was wrong," Draco said holding her closer, "I felt so tight and stretched so thin, bloody Slughorn was getting on my last nerve for most of the morning, and was only slightly manageable in the afternoon. The moment I slid in behind you all of it left."

Hermione blinked, "You felt it too? I think it must be my fault. I woke up feeling awful and tried to push through."

"We came home after lunch," Theo continued, "Your mum was giving us dance lessons and Hermione looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment."

"I'm a bit overwhelmed," she said sheepishly, "Everything is so different. I thought that we were going to be shot of Tom at this point and we're still trying to figure out how to end him. I just want to be normal teenagers."

The rest of the night, they spent in their room. The elves brought them breakfast in bed and they ate and teased each other. Hermione made a few mental notes to check into their bond and how it might affect their magic, it seemed that all three of them were affected by each other much stronger than other bonds she'd heard of. As she drifted off to sleep that night, she couldn't stop herself from searching for the magic of the bond and feeling it thrum between them.

"Stop," Draco groaned, "If you want to sleep and not have me shag you senseless you have to stop pulling on my magic."

She giggled and rolled toward him, dropping a kiss on his nose. "As beautiful as you are, I am not in the mood to shag you. I'm in the mood to be sandwiched between my favourite men in the world and sleep soundly."

"Then stop bloody thinking so hard," Theo grunted. "Go to sleep, Hermione."

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!