Edited 9/15/2023 Minor Grammar/Spelling.
4/5 for today!
Monday, August 10, 1998
Hermione sat with Theo in the Floo parlour waiting for Draco to come home. Wawira had come earlier in the afternoon to help her perfect her hair, it lay in perfect braids, helping to further separate her from any comparison to the wild curls of Hermione Granger. She couldn't help herself from fidgeting with the hepatizon and silver charms that had been braided in. Theo rolled one of the hepatizon charms in his fingers anxiously.
Spring of Fifth Year
"Hermione," Theo said, toeing the leg of the chair she was reading on. She placed her finger on the line she was on and looked up at him. "Er, Draco and I wanted to give you something."
"Now?" she asked, trying to think of any celebration that would warrant a gift in the month of April.
Draco cleared his throat, "Well yes… er in Pureblood culture it is customary to give the Witch you're interested in Courting a Courting Gift. It's usually jewellery, but you're not much of a jewellery person so…"
"We've been racking our brains on what to get you, because we want you to know that we're quite serious about you," Theo continued, picking up steam.
"As you know," Draco said, gripping Theo's hand nervously. "The Malfoy colours are green and silver."
"And the Nott colours are midnight blue and purple," Theo added. "We wanted to get you something that you could wear that wouldn't be too ostentatious, but still let us feel like we were Courting you properly."
Draco handed her a box that she could hold in one hand. She took off the ribbon, a beautiful periwinkle, and took off the lid. Inside were about 28 hair charms in a lovely purplish metal and silver.
"The purple is called hepatizon, or black Corinthian bronze. It was highly valued in Ancient Rome, and is an alloy of copper with the addition of a small proportion of gold and silver," Theo said as he swept down to kneel in front of her chair.
"And the silver is forged from a piece of jewellery said to be owned by Morgana," Draco said with a flush.
"Are you proposing to me?" Hermione sputtered.
"Think of it as more of a pre-proposal proposal? Like we hope to one day marry you, but until we get there, we want everyone to know we're serious?" Theo explained.
"It's not binding or anything," Draco continued, "I know it's a bit old fashioned, but…"
"Alright," Hermione said, grinning, "I agree to be courted. I'll have Wawira braid them into my hair when I go home for break."
Present Day (8/10/1998)
Finally, Draco stumbled out of the Floo, eyes darting around the room nervously. "Are you ready?" he asked sharply.
"Yes," Theo said, standing to brush some Floo powder off of Draco's hair. "You need to go change, Hermione and I have been brushing up all day."
"We have to leave in about ten minutes, mon étoile," Hermione murmured, causing Draco to start and apparate away to their bedroom.
Theo came to kneel in front of her and held both of her hands in his. "You're going to do wonderfully, he won't use the torture curse, it's too dangerous and he wants to preserve the Bloodline. Remember to keep your thoughts open and honest, think a lot about the past few months and all the things we've done, sprinkle in some of your visits to Martinique when you were a child."
"I'm so worried, mostly for you two, what if he hurts you," she said quietly running her hand along his cheek.
"Then you need to keep a stiff upper lip and bear it," Theo said sternly, "we can't have this be our downfall, not now. I know Draco is out of his mind with worry so we'll have to keep very calm for him, can you do that, love?"
"Yes of course," she said, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I love you, Theodore Nott."
"And I, you, Hermione Jean Malfoy Nott."
When they stepped through the Floo, Hermione felt Malfoy Manor's wards wrap around her. She kept a straight face as they walked past the Drawing Room where Bellatrix had tortured her mercilessly. When they entered the dining room, Hermione looked away from Draco and toward the snake-like man sitting on a throne-like chair.
"Ahhhhh," Tom Riddle hissed, "it's sssssso good of you to join usssss, Lady Malfoy Nott."
"The pleasure is mine, my Lord," she said curtsying. "Draco has spoken so eloquently of your reign to us."
"Hassss he?" Tom said, looking at Draco with a sense of pride, "I alwayssss knew he wasss better than hissss uselessss father. Any sssssign of him?" he asked Draco offhandedly.
"None, my lord," Draco said stoically.
"Alasssss," Tom said, not looking all that disappointed, "Come here, my girl, your place issss next to me tonight, we have much to discusssss."
The dinner that they consumed was tense. Tom barely asked questions, but she could feel him dipping into her mind often throughout the meal. Draco and Theo attempted to keep up mindless chatter to distract everyone, but by the time the dishes were cleared, Hermione had barely eaten anything due to her nerves.
"Now," Tom said, turning to her fully, "I mussst search your mind. It issss sssstandard practice for all my followers and their sssspousessss."
Hermione nodded, not needing to feign her fear. He turned to look at her and a searing pain ripped through her brain. He was searching for anything to do with the Order, so Hermione pulled up a conversation that her and Theo had staged about the "players" in the war. He wanted to know about where she came from and her alleged purity, so she brought forward a memory of herself as a child on the beach in Martinique. She inserted the face of her own grandmother onto Wawira talking about the Old Ways.
It was excruciating, and she collapsed heavily into her chair as he pulled out of her mind. Draco and Theo rushed to her side, and she laid her hand on her abdomen, feeling the small flutters from Scorpius.
"Ah," Tom said, watching her movement, "the littlest Malfoy, isn't it?"
"Y-Yes, sir," she stuttered, "we've decided to follow the tradition of the Blacks and choose a celestial name, Scorpius."
"Ah yesss the Scorpion who killed Orion," Tom hissed, looking at her thoughtfully.
"Yes," Hermione added quickly, "Scorpions are all over Martinique and it felt like a good way to honour my heritage as well!"
"Fascinating," Tom said. "He has a very sssstrong Magical Signature." After a few moments, he continued, "I know it isn't in good taste, but I must enact some punishment, and I hope you will stay for the… fesssstivities, Lady Malfoy Nott."
Draco stepped forward, clenching his jaw, "I am sorry for failing you, my lord, I will double down my efforts to find my traitor of a father."
"I ssssincerly hope ssssso," Tom said, maliciously, "Thesssse ssssessions don't sssseem to be motivating you enough."
Tom pointed his wand at Draco, and at the last second pointed it at Theo, who was hovering over Hermione's shoulder anxiously.
"Crucio!" he said, softly. Hermione was horrified to see Theo fall to his knees, letting out a small cry, but quickly clenching his jaw and closing his eyes. After a few moments he lifted the curse, "I exxxxpect ressssults, Draco. Crucio!" This time, Draco dropped to his knees, but didn't utter a sound.
"Don't you dare fucking move," Draco ground out in her mind.
"We can take it, love," Theo agreed firmly. "Scorpius cannot."
"B-but he's hurting you," she whimpered.
"I'd take a million crucios for you three," Theo said.
"And I'd take a million more," Draco agreed, as Tom continued to pour the Cruciatus at him.
Hermione had to fight herself from jumping in front of the stream, knowing that it could kill Scorpius and Theo and Draco would never forgive her. .
The next half an hour Hermione was forced to sit in her seat as Tom switched between cursing her husbands, although Hermione noticed that Theo got the majority of the torture. Finally, finally, he sheathed his wand in his sleeve and stood, gliding away. Hermione immediately fell to her knees and gathered Theo in her arms where he was laying, groaning on the floor. Draco hobbled over to them and wrapped his arms around the pair of them.
"Gertie," he called, and when the elf appeared, she apparated them home, straight to the bedroom. Without any prodding, the elf snapped her fingers, changing their clothing and tucking them into the bed. Theo was nestled in between them and with a few groans, fell into a fitful sleep.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!