Edited 6/14/23: Minor Grammar/Spelling
Today when I got home from work at 4pm I ate lunch, then I took a nap, then I went to dinner with a friend. I wrote a good chunk of this on my lunch break but I am currently avoiding packing, so here you go! :)
Sunday, June 14, 1998
They'd sat for the whole night waiting for Draco and Regulus to return. Hermione paced and paced while Theo bounced his knee up and down. Ginny was ripping a piece of parchment to shreds. Narcissa was having Cruciatus tremors and Andromeda looked like she was going to scream.
Finally close to two in the morning Draco apparated in, dragging Regulus behind him. Hermione shot up and went to the two of them, pulling Theo along. Theo took Regulus and Draco collapsed onto his knees in front of Hermione, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"I love you so much," he cried softly, Hermione knelt down and wrapped him up in her arms cooing softly.
After about 20 minutes, Regulus was stabilised and ready to talk and Draco had stopped crying, he'd wedged himself between Theo and Hermione gripping their hands tightly.
"How did it…go?" Remus asked.
Regulus and Draco made long eye contact, and with a nod from Draco, Regulus started to speak. "When we arrived at the Manor, Draco took me to see the Dark Lord. We explained how I was found and nursed back to health by Kreacher."
"He didn't believe him of course," Drsco sneered. "Plus he didn't believe that I'd sorted through his memories thoroughly enough. He had Father torture me for a bit then turned to Regulus. He forced me to torture him while he used Legilimency…"
"You did good," Regulus said softly, "he could tell how strong your curse was. I showed him my memories of the lake but attached them to a lake in the Lake District. He was convinced that I was telling the truth. Then he looked through my motivations on being a Death Eater and why I wanted to come back." Regulus was panting heavily at this point and Andromeda wiped his forehead.
"The Dark Lord looked at me with pride," Draco spat. "He said 'You're nothing like your useless parents are you?' I just looked at him, not changing my expression at all."
Regulus wheezed out a chuckle, "The two of us will quickly be launched into the Inner Circle I think. We did good Draco."
The group sat in silence for a while longer, but Kingsley looked pleased. "We'll have a full Order meeting tonight at 7, I suggest everyone get home and get some rest."
The meeting broke up, Narcissa holding Draco to her chest and stroking his hair. Theo and Hermione stood off to the side not really talking to anyone, but she could feel the relief rolling off him in waves.
When Narcissa released Draco, he stood shakily and followed them to the Floo. When they arrived in their room, Draco collapsed on the floor and sobbed. Hermione and Theo dropped to the floor next to him. Theo pulled him into his chest and began rocking and Hermione wrapped around his back.
"I feel so dirty. It's so evil being there," Draco sobbed. "He made me torture Reggie, I can't get his screams, your screams Granger, out of my head."
"We're here, we're all alright," she cooed. "You're here with us, we're doing this so that our children will never have to. Come on mon étoile, let's get up."
Theo hoisted Draco up and they carried him to the bath. Hermione filled the tub with soothing lavender and warm amber scents, Theo sunk into the tub, pulling Draco in on top of him. Draco, curled up on Theo's lap, tucking his head into the crook of Theo's neck. Hermione slipped in with them and began to soap a cloth to clean Draco.
"Come on, amor," Theo whispered, "let our girl help you." He helped Draco rearrange so that his back was to Theo's front. Hermione ran the cloth up his arms and over his chest. She dipped it under the water to wipe at his stomach and avoided his cock as she cleaned his legs. Draco's head had dropped to Theo's shoulder, his eyes falling almost all the way shut. When she was done, she pulled herself onto Draco's lap and wrapped her legs around them both, resting her head on Draco's chest. She couldn't be sure how long they sat there quietly, but the sun was peeking over the horizon when they finally made their way to bed.
When they reappeared at Headquarters that evening, most of the Order was gathered. Molly and Ron were sitting in a far corner, squinting at the board. They must not be able to see all the assignments anymore. Molly glared at Hermione while Ron turned a rather unpleasant shade of red when he caught the way Draco was firmly wedged between them.
They sat and saw that there were still a few people missing. She turned to Luna who started up a conversation on another mysterious creature that Hermione had never heard of. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her friend, who was everything she wasn't. Luna was kind and observant, and saw the best in almost everyone. "I hope you're doing well after your task, cousin," she said dreamily to Draco.
"I'm alright, Luna," he said kindly.
Spring of Fourth Year
"Hello Hermione Granger," said a dreamy voice on the other side of Hermione's preferred library table. She looked up to see a rather translucent looking girl wearing Hogwarts robes, with pink stitching and a purple and teal tie. "I'm Luna Lovegood. We don't know each other, but I know we're going to become great friends."
Hermione just sort of stared at the girl, but nodded dumbly. "Er- Yes, hello. What house are you in again?"
The girl tinkled out a laugh and Hermione felt herself warming slightly to the girl. "I'm in Ravenclaw, everyone calls me Loony Lovegood, they think I don't know, but I do. I just rather like the name, you see." Hermione was baffled by the girl, who spoke like she had all the time in the world, like she wasn't fully here.
"It's nice to meet you, Luna," Hermione said carefully, "How can I help you today?"
Luna laughed again, "Oh I'm not asking for help, Hermione Granger, I'm here to offer you help."
"I er- I don't need any help right now, Luna," she tried to say in her kindest voice.
"I know," she said, starting to drift away, "but soon you will and now you know where I am. I can often be found near the Thestrals or at the shores of the Black Lake."
Hermione just nodded, more confused than she'd started, but watched as the girl floated away. Not long after, Theo dropped his books on the table. "Hello study partner," he said jovially. "Was that Luna that I saw talking to you?"
"Yes, she's rather different isn't she?" Hermione said, reaching her hand under the table to hold his.
"She's Draco's cousin. Her Mum was a Malfoy. They used to have playdates when we were kids until her Mum died. Now they only see each other occasionally for a few holidays," he said with a shrug. "She's pretty nice and a lot more aware than she seems. She's a good friend to have in a pinch."
Hermione couldn't imagine a single scenario that she would need to speak with someone who was okay being called Looney, but she nodded along with Theo and bent her head back to her work.
Present Day (6/14/1998)
As Luna continued to prattle on, Hermione smiled softly. Luna had been an invaluable friend to her. She was one of the few girls who Hermione could be herself around. Without Luna, there was no way Draco would have made it through the last year. She was much more observant than people gave her credit for, and she was always underestimated.
"Alright," Kingsley said, standing, "It looks like we're all here. Thank you all for coming. We've had a major windfall, and our plans for our fight have been moved up slightly. From here on out, we will be going on the Offensive instead of the Defensive while we figure out exactly what needs to be done to take down You-Know-Who."
"I would like everyone who isn't on special assignment to prepare themselves to fight in the coming weeks. If you're feeling nerves or concerns, please come to Kingsley or I promptly," continued Remus. Hermione was sure that he looked lighter. She couldn't quite place why, but he seemed like he had hope for the first time in a long time. It made her feel hopeful, and she could tell that it lightened both Draco and Theo's moods as well.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!