Edited 9/15/2023 Minor Grammar/Spelling.
3/5 for today!
Sunday, August 9, 1998
When she blinked her eyes open, she was laying in her bed, with Draco pacing, pulling at his hair. Theo was sitting on a chair, looking absolutely fried. "I knew we shouldn't have done it so fast!" Draco said loudly. "We weren't ready, she could have died Theodore!"
"I didn't though," Hermione said, clearing her throat. "Did it work?"
"You're such a ridiculous woman," Theo chuckled as the two men rushed over. "You really think we tested it after you passed out?"
"Just bloodloss," Hermione said with a shrug.
"Just- Just bloodloss!" Draco shouted, eyes red rimmed.
"I mean I know we married a Gryffindor, but you'd think some of the Slytherin had rubbed off on you," Theo muttered under his breath.
"What time is it?" she asked, ignoring them.
"Around six am on Sunday morning," Theo said.
"Oh good! We still have time to do the other two then! But first we need to test the-"
"No," Draco said firmly.
"Draco," she said, turning to look at him. "This isn't negotiable. I don't have the same Occlumency Shields as the two of you. I've only been working on mine for a few years, not since childhood like the two of you. We need to be able to communicate. I promise to stay in bed until it's time for you two test the Pinpointer."
"Granger," Draco groaned. "I-" But all three of them knew that it couldn't be avoided. They had to finish the rituals if they wanted to make it out of the Dark Lord's presence alive.
"Test it out," she said, softer now. "I'll wait here."
Theo leaned down to kiss her softly and then apparated away. Draco pouted for a moment, but he leaned down and pulled her in for a hard kiss. "I love you, you foolish witch," he said and apparated out as well.
Hermione reached out her Magic and she could feel three distinct streams. Theo was in London, not far from her parent's house, Draco was in Wiltshire outside a local pub, and Scorpius was resting peacefully inside of her.
She conjured her patronus. "Draco, go to Theo," she sent it away. Moments later, she felt Draco's Magic move to Theo's. She grinned and stroked her stomach. "Feel that, little star? Papá and Pére did it!" Moments later they appeared in front of her again.
"It worked!" Theo said, wrapping his arms under Draco's arse, lifting and spinning him around. Draco couldn't hold back his own laugh and leaned down to kiss him.
"Alright," Draco said, begrudgingly, "I can see how this will be useful, especially with our reckless, Gryffindor witch."
"Could you feel Scorp?" she asked.
"No!" they said in unison,
"You can feel him?" Theo continued, setting Draco down.
"I can, I wonder…" she trailed off, "I'll have to do some research, but maybe it's part of the Mother-Child bond?"
"I'm a bit jealous," Draco said, coming to perch next to her.
Theo chuckled and wrapped his arms around Draco, "We'll just have to find other ways to make her jealous then," he pseudo-whispered in his ear.
"Enough goofing around," Hermione said with a huff, "we have two more rituals to perform, luckily neither of these require blood."
"As if I'd subject us to that nightmare again," Draco grumbled as he and Theo made their way out of the room.
A few hours and a lovely nap later, they came back into the room with grins on their faces. "You two looked pleased with yourselves," she said looking up from her book.
"We're about to have unfettered access to the mind of the Brightest Witch of Our Age," Theo said with a smirk.
"How could we not be jumping with glee," Draco added with a wink. Hermione rolled her eyes and then pushed her legs over the edge of the bed. "Ah, ah, ah," Draco said, scooping her up. "No walking for our delicate little flower."
"I hate when you two are like this," she said, sticking out her tongue.
"Yes well," Theo said feigning nonchalance, "we don't like it when you pass out for twelve hours from blood loss, so I believe we're at an impasse, love."
Hermione grumbled, but allowed Draco to carry her down to the library. Draco set her down and she changed into the white cotton shift that they'd laid out for her. She moved toward the circle that she was sure Theo had drawn as she settled into the correct mental space. When she was sitting on a comfortable pillow on the floor, she looked at the two men, glad that she was sharing this ritual with them. "We'll start with the Telepathy Ritual," Theo said solemnly. "After that one is complete we'll begin the Occlumency Ritual as it's the most gruelling of all three."
Draco poured the potion over her head, she poured it upon Theo's and Theo poured it over Draco. With a final grin, she joined hands with Draco and Theo. The three of them looked to the centre where a three-sided mirror stood, allowing them to see both of the others at the same time.
With a nod, they began to chant together:
Plenitudo mentis et cogitationis huc venimus firmando vinculo nostro. Sicut circulus infinitus, connect mentes nostras sicut vitam nostram et magicam conteximus. ultra vinculum cogitationum invisibilium rivus perennis elaborat. (In fullness of mind and thought we come here to strengthen our bond. Like an infinite circle, connect our minds as we have connected our lives and our magic. Forge an ever flowing river of thoughts unseen by those beyond the bond.)
She could tell that their words were fading away, but could still hear Theo and Draco speaking in her mind. It was jarring at first to hear them but no longer see their mouths move. After their ninth repetition, they stopped.
"Well this is fucking weird," she heard Theo say.
"You can say that again," Draco replied, but she could hear the giddiness in his thoughts.
Hermione grinned at them and launched herself across the circle, pulling them into a hug. "I love you a hell of a lot," she thought, pushing as much of her affection into the thought as she could.
"Salazar's sack, Granger!" Draco practically shouted, "Are you trying to kill us? You can't think that loud."
"Er-Sorry?" she said, sheepishly.
"Alright you two," Theo said, pulling Hermione into his lap. "Let's finish these rituals so we can make sure we're ready for tomorrow. Narcissa promised to test us when we make it over for dinner."
Hermione settled herself back on her pillow, casting a Scourgify to clear off the potion from the previous ritual. Draco handed her a small vial to drink.
"We can't touch for this one, as it's more about you than it is about us. Theo and I completed this one earlier so that we were sure it would work how we thought it would."
"So I just have to chant this and… then what?" Hermione asked.
"It's not pleasant," Theo grimaced. "It feels like all your barriers are ripping down in your brain, I think it's worse than what the Dark Lord did to us, but when they reform, there is nothing that can break through them if you don't want them to, plus they're undetectable. Your mind seems like there are no walls, but they're just incredibly well hidden. Draco and I were able to get through each others because of the bond, there is a sort of tunnel?"
Draco chuckled, "It's strange, but honestly so liberating. We'll both be here through the pain, but we can't touch you while you're going through it or it might mess things up. "
"Alright," Hermione said, throwing the potion back. It tasted awful. Probably worse than anything else she'd had in the Wizarding World. After she swallowed, she felt sort of like she was floating. Suddenly she remembered that she had to do the incantation.
"Muros et undas. Seras occultis clavibus. Fac animum meum indissolubile praesidium. Nullam intentatum lapidem, nullum in muris foramen. Custodi cogitationes meas ab iis, qui quaerebant ea uti contra me et meos. Magica mea et vinculo utere, ut cogitationes meas et intentiones meas tuearis. Nemo in animo meo claustra praeteribit sine mea scientia vel consensu ex nunc in per- petuum." (Walls and Waves. Locks with hidden keys. Make my mind an unbreakable fortress. Leave no stone unturned, no hole in the walls. Protect my thoughts from those seeking to use them against me and mine. Use my Magic and my Bond to protect my thoughts and my intentions. None shall pass the barriers in my mind without my knowledge or consent from now into perptetuity.)
Then the pain began. Hermione felt like someone was digging through her brain, tearing it apart with a fine toothed comb. Nothing was safe. Her most painful memories flashed before her eyes. Her deepest fears took a starring role in her mind. She wasn't totally sure how long it lasted, but she could have sworn it'd been hours.
Finally, finally the pain faded away. Hermione opened her eyes to see a very pale looking Draco and Theo, gripping each other's hands. "Well fuck," Hermione grimaced.
Theo barked out a laugh and Draco let out a breath like he'd been holding it for the entire time.
"Mother fuck," Draco bit out, "I hate knowing you're in pain, darling. If I never have to hear you scream again, it will be too soon."
"This is amazing!" Narcissa cooed as she prodded against Hermione's mental walls. "I can't feel anything, but I can't pull anything out either. I'd think you were brain dead if I didn't see you moving in front of me!"
Hermione chuckled and pulled some of her fond thoughts about Narcissa to the forefront of her mind. It felt so easy and Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at how awed the older woman looked.
"Is that really how you see me?" Narcissa whispered.
"Yes," Hermione said grinning, "You're everything I could want in a Mother-in-Law. I'm glad that you're here, helping us. I'm not sure I could stand being on the opposite side as you."
Narcissa pulled out of her mind and pulled her in for a hug. Hermione could feel her shoulder getting wet from Narcissa's tears, but she didn't say anything as she just held her closer.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!