Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Present day

It started on a dreary Friday afternoon in the nearly empty library on his college campus. He preferred to do his research on Fridays; the building was always at it’s emptiest. Theodore had been a fan of books since he was little. When his father read to him, he would run his small fingers over the stiff pages, tracing the ink in an early attempt to memorize it all. Those books provided him a constant sense of support when there was no one else to. 

He was up in the stacks when it happened, pulling out centuries old reference books for his thesis. At first, he didn’t believe his eyes. Theo moved his gaze from her, to his book, and then froze. It took him two seconds to process. With almost-caution, he looked back in the direction the maybe-most-likely-hallucination was located.

The last person Theodore Nott ever expected to see on campus was Hermione Granger. Hell, the last person she had expected to see ever was Hermione Granger. She was busy with a book—no surprise—but even with only the view of her side available, Theo was able to recognize her. Her rebellious curls were pulled back in an attempted braid, small ringlets escaping everywhere. She was in a hoodie that he could only assume was purchased at their school store by the harsh orange coloring.

Fuck. Did Hermione fucking Granger go to his school and he was just now finding this out?

“If you’re going to keep staring, you might as well introduce yourself,” she chided him lightly. Theo watched in what could only be described as slow motion as Hermione turned from the book she was holding to converse with the man she saw in her perivials. Theo was certain she had no idea who she was talking with originally as he watched her eyes land on her face. They widened in first shock, then recognition, and finally embarrassment. 

“Oh dear God,” Hermione said two notches too high for a library. She clasped a hand over her mouth, cheeks reddening. Theo didn’t participate in the scene onesoever. He knew his role in this was completely up to her. Maybe Hermione would scream at him, maybe she would smile and excitedly recall high school memories, or maybe she’d just turn and walk away. He waited for her to choose.

“I’m sorry, I had no clue who you were for a moment,” was the wording she chose to go with. Hermione lowered her hand from her mouth once her blush had faded, both hands busy holding onto her thick tome.

“It’s okay. It’s been, what? Five years at least?” Theo offered her a friendly smile, one she could use to leave the conversation if she wanted. One she could take to run and leave him behind. At this point, he wasn’t sure if her leaving now or after ten minutes of catching up would hurt more, not after five years of distance.

“Wow,” she murmured, quickly counting the years in her head as well. “Have you been here all along? I just started here this fall for my masters.” Her grip relaxed from white-knuckled to normal on the poor book she was holding. 

Theo tried to quickly catch all the changes in her without obviously breaking eye contact for too long. Hermione hadn’t gotten any taller, she still barely reached five and a half feet. Her hair was still twenty different shades of browns and gold, but it seemed slightly more tamed—as if she knew how to manage its chaos. The only real changes he could see with her oversized hoodie on were that she had lost the slight baby fat her cheeks had held, not that he had ever minded that. She looked like a woman now, not the teens that had been back home. 

“Congrats on getting into a program,” Theo replied with a genuine smile. “I went here for my undergrad, but I just started my masters program as well. What are you in for? You were really into...well, everything back in school.” He set the stack of books he was holding down on an empty spot of a nearby bookcase. To his surprise, she did the same with the one book she was holding. 

“Same goes to you. I wanted to do a lot of things, but social work sucked me in.” She sounded sheepish, as if she were waiting for someone to laugh. Theo could imagine the conversation happening five or six years earlier, swotty Granger wanting to go to school to help the needy. They would’ve all had a go at her. 

Instead, Theo offered her another small, smile. “That’s hard shit,” he stated simply. “God knows it takes someone with determination to do those jobs. You always seemed to have a lot of that. Is that the masters program you’re in?”

Theo wasn’t sure if he was feeling pride, enjoyment, or pure shame as the fact that Hermione was clearly unsettled by his answer. Theodore Nott five years ago would’ve been a raging asshole. He would’ve laughed at the woman, would’ve let Draco say anything the boy wanted, and left. It wasn’t like that anymore. They weren’t like that anymore.

“Yeah...yeah, it is.” He hates the hesitation in her voice, but respected her caution. “What about you? What program are you in?”

He let himself smile more, a smile Hermione would’ve never seen back in high school. “History,” Theo informed her with quieted excitement. “I’m focused on turn of the century culture for the 1900s.”

Hermione’s golden brown eyes widened with interest. “We had that AP history class together, right? With the group essay?”

“Yeah! I wasn’t sure if you would’ve remembered—“

“—no, of course I do! You had all those amazing, super old books and you let me borrow them for months—“

“—I mean, if I were to let anyone borrow century old books, it should be to Miss Hermione Granger—“

“—oh shut up! They were wonderful and the pages were yellow and so beautiful! You let me—“

“—keep the copy of the first animal cruelty policy history.” Theo finished for her. Hermione was grinning at him, several steps closer now—close enough to be having a normal conversation together. He had to tilt his head down to meet her eyes and all he found there was warmth. 

“I can’t believe you remember that,” she said quietly. 

“I remember everything about you,” Theo told her in the same tone. Slowly, he took a step back and put some space between them both. “Would you like to come over for dinner? We could catch up more and I make a mean zucchini pasta.”

Hermione looked hesitant. He could see her arguing internally, her gut telling her to run like she had often done all those years ago, as they had made her do. 

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Theo added. His voice was so quiet he wasn’t sure she heard him. The only real confirmation he had was her slight nod. 

“Fine,” she replied with obvious caution.

Theo ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook and scribbled down his number and address. He handed it to Hermione slowly, afraid to startle her more. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Tonight.”

—

“You did what ?” Draco shouted at his boyfriend. His pale hands were slammed palm down on the countertop of the island in the kitchen. Theo—a man who always planned ahead—was on the other side. “Why in God’s sweet fucking Earth would you invite Hermione fucking Granger to have dinner with us ?” 

Theo hated the fact that he liked seeing Draco mad. Not a lot, it wasn’t unhealthy, but a little bit. His face was red and this little vein on the side of his neck was much more visible. Draco wasn’t anything like his father—a man who would destroy objects and people alike in fits of rage—he just raised his voice and stormed off. Theo was surprised he had even stayed in the room for a second. 

“I ran into her! We haven’t seen her since high school! I thought it’d be nice to catch up with her.” Theo offered Draco a raised-shoulder-puppy-dog-smile combo and hoped it would ease the vein some. 

“You ran into her,” Draco repeated slowly. “She knows she’s coming to see you, the boy who lent her pretty, old books. The boy who basically re-enacted her biggest wet dream. Did you by any chance mention that I, Draco Malfoy, would be at this dinner?”

Theo purposely looked around their apartment. He looked anywhere but at Draco, which he knew meant the vein was enlarging tenfold. He took time to focus on their white curtains, their full bookcases, and the bedroom door that Theo was considering making a run for. 

“So she’s going to walk in here and see me, the person she hates the most in the whole wide world?” Draco yelled at Theo. He finally looked back over at his fiancé to see the tears brimming his eyes. “God, it’s already enough to remember she hates me, but to live through it again?”

“Draco, baby, please,” Theo begged. He hurried to Draco’s side and wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter man. “She was happy to see me. She didn’t mention any of that. I’m thinking if she comes here, maybe she will hear us out and we can apologize.” He slowly ran his hands through the blonde strands of hair. “Is that worth the risk? Being able to be forgiven? What if she gives us a chance? You’ve had a crush on her since elementary school. I couldn’t miss this chance.”

“You’ve had a crush on her, too,” Draco mumbled into his chest. 

Theo didn’t acknowledge the response, but his fiancé as right. Both boys had liked the wild, stubborn girl during their childhoods and both of them had hurt her. They had agreed years ago that if they ever had a chance to rekindle something with Hermione—friendship, romance, anything—they would both try their best. Their time had come. 

—

Hermione stood nervously outside apartment 23, wringing her fingers. Goodness, if only Ron or Harry could see her now, standing in front of Theodore Nott’s apartment. They’d both burst into screaming fits, overcome with rightful anger. They had all been so angry all the time. This was her chance to shake free of that. 

With a deep breath of courage, Hermione knocked on door 23. She expected to see the tall build of Theo, his well-kept hair and tanned skin. Instead, she got an eyeful of the incredibly pale Draco Malfoy—a boy she hadn’t seen since graduation day. He looked so… God, so much better. Instead of looking sickly, he now looked like he was full of life. His once dull grey eyes were bright. He wore his blonde hair loose, brushed neatly to the side instead of greased down. Draco was taller now, his frame filled out. Somehow, he had become an attractive man instead of a snot nosed brat. 

Despite all those improvements, the best greeting Hermione could piece together was, “what in God’s name are you doing here?”

Draco replied to her only with a snort before making room in the doorway for her to enter. She walked in with obvious hesitation which only earned her an eye roll from him. 

The apartment was quaint. The walls were the standard white that came with most rented places, but furnishings continued with the soft touch. The curtains were white and thin, moving with the breeze. There were a few pieces of art on the wall and they were all tasteful, not something she’d expect from any men in their mid 20’s. It was open and clean. Internally, Hermione let herself admit she loved it. 

“He’s here because he’s my fiancé.” The voice came from the kitchen. Hermione quickly found it belonged to Theo, who was efficiently chopping a zucchini. “Draco lives here with me. I’m sorry if I didn’t mention that earlier.”

“You two are…?” Hermione didn’t finish her sentence.

“Do you have a problem with us?” Draco snapped quickly. 

Hermione put her hands up defensively, to show she meant no harm. “I don’t, really. I just remember you dating Pansy most of high school. I really thought you two would be off married somewhere at this point.”

“No,” Draco snorted before seating himself at the bar. “Pansy’s just a really good friend who did us a favor for a long time.”

“Oh,” Hermione said lamely. “So you two were dating back then?”

“Sort of,” Theo answered, swiftly taking over the conversation as he moved on to dicing an onion. “It was really complicated. We weren’t able to really figure us out until we got to college, but it all worked out in the end.”

Hermione sat at the bar next to Draco. “Sorry about the assumption,” she said carefully. “That’s pretty amazing of Pansy. Do you two still keep in touch?” She watched her old best friends’ worst enemy as he focused on a piece of scratch paper. Draco was slowly shredding it, focusing all his attention on it. 

“Yeah,” Draco nodded. “She off living in New York with Daphne, but she FaceTimes me a few times a month at least. Plus, she spends her holidays out here with us. She’s really happy.” His voice was soft, kinder than Hermione had ever heard. It made her chest ache slightly, knowing that Draco had a whole different side to him—a side she hadn’t even thought existed. 

“I’m glad she’s happy,” Hermione told him genuinely. She watched Draco look up from his paper shredding to see if she was being genuine. She offered him a small smile and he returned it back. It was easily the weirdest moment of her life. 

“How about your old friends?” Theo asked as he sautéed a pan full of vegetables. “Do you keep in contact with Harry or any of the Weasleys?”

Hermione knew Theo was asking with genuine curiosity, but it didn’t stop the pang in his chest. “I haven’t heard from them for a few years,” she admitted quietly. 

“What?” Draco asked incredulously. His paper shredding now forgotten, Draco was now looking directly at her. “You three were ride or die though.”

“Ride or die until Ron decides he wants to fuck someone else,” Hermione scoffed. Realizing what she had said, Hermione’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “That really wasn’t okay for me to say. Can we just not talk about this anymore? Please?”

“Of course,” Theo told her kindly. He focused on finishing up the vegetables, giving her some space. “Dinner will be ready in a moment anyways.”

Draco, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. He watched her expression for a long moment, as if he was trying to put together what had happened without any of the story from her. 

Surprisingly, dinner was delicious. They say around a small, round table and ate the food Theo cooked. Hermione had never imagined the two rich boys she knew in high school to be so domestic. It was refreshing.

“So, Draco,” Hermione started between two bites of spicy veggies, “what do you do? I know Theo is getting a masters in history. Are you in a masters program?”

Draco shook his head. He made a nervous glance towards Theo, clearly considering his wording. “No, I’m taking sometime before getting my masters—if I decide to.”

“Oh,” she replied simply. “Then what do you do now?” She took another bite of chicken, thoroughly enjoying her first well cooked meal in weeks. Hermione was a God awful cook. 

“I’m part of a few local political scenes, I—“

“Wow,” Hermione muttered, interrupting him. Her voice was calm as she skewered another piece of chicken with her fork. “I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, did it?” She purposely didn’t look up from her plate. This had all been a mistake. Dinner with a Malfoy, who had she been kidding?

“Hey, Hermione, let’s—“

“I don’t think so,” she stopped him, her words quiet. She pushed her plate away from her slightly and set her fork down on her half-finished meal. Maybe some childhood grudges couldn’t be overcome. “You know, I really thought I could do this and be friends with you both, but politics, really?”

Hermione didn’t take any time to look at the men’s faces, to see the shock in their eyes. She grabbed her bag quickly, raising a hand to silence them when they started to argue with her. “Thank you for dinner, Theo. It was a sweet offer.” 

And with that, she left. 

Chapter Text

High School, Sophomore Year

“We can’t just stand for this!” Hermione dislikes when her voice was shrill. She knew everyone around her hated when she let herself get that worked up, but for once no one put up a fight. No one was telling her to calm down, no one was shushing her. They all wore matching grim expressions and stood listlessly. Hope was lost. 

“What is left for us to do, ‘Mione?” Harry asked. The boy that she had seen as her kin, her brother, the only person who was close to understanding her. His attention was focused on the cracked cement that had weeds peeking out of it. He toed a small pebble into one of the cracks, finding anything to keep him from looking at her. “It’s done. We’re just kids. We can’t go change city laws.”

“We should be able to do something!” Desperation seeped into her voice as she blinked back hot tears. 

“‘Mione, you can stop now.” Ron’s voice was quiet, but firm—a trait it rarely held. “There’s nothin’ left to be done. Ma was packing when I left this morning. Screaming here won’t do anything about it.” 

He locked eyes with her and shook his head. Ron had a history of rarely being right, but he might’ve been that time. Hermione couldn’t think of anything they could do. They were a group of 16- and 17-year-olds with no legal rights. If they marched down to city hall, they’d just close the doors on them. In total, they stood six people versus the entire local government and the men who had bought them out. It was done.

“We should probably head home soon,” Ginny murmured. Her head was still held high with Weasley pride. The only detail of her that faltered was her deathgrip on Harry’s hand. Her white-knuckled grip showed her pain and that alone was too much for Hermione to bear witness to. “Ma will need help packing everything up.”

“27 years renting one house,” Neville mumbled. He shook his head and shrugged to himself. “You’d think that’d mean something to a landlord, right?”

“Nothing means anything here anymore,” Ron spat out. “The moment the Malfoys were voted in, our entire town changed. They closed Zonko’s, Hog’s Head Inn costs an arm and a leg to stay at, and Fred and George’s store had to move out of town. They’re turning the whole place upside down. It’s bullshit!” With his last sentence, Ron kicked the nearest object and it happened to be a metal garbage can on the edge of campus. The metal shouted as it absorbed the impact, making Hermione and many of the others flinch. “It’s fucking bullshit,” he mumbled. 

“Hey, watch what your kicking there, Weasel! That’s public property which makes it my father’s.” Hermione didn’t have to turn around to recognize the arrogant, slightly nasal voice approaching. It belonged to Draco Malfoy, the boy whom they’d had fights with since before she moved to town in middle school. Apparently he had always been a brat. 

Hermione spun around on her heels and faced the spoiled brat that came their way. Behind Draco was his little pousse of fellow rich kids. To the left of his overly greased head was Pansy, a girl with black bobbed hair and a few face piercings Hermione knew she couldn’t have gotten legally. To his right was a tall, handsome if not too skinny boy that she recognized from her AP classes. His name was Theodore and his dad owned half the businesses in town at that point. Behind them were two dull looking boys that she knew as Diddle Dee and Deedle Dumb—or Crabbe and Goyle. They were the bite to Draco’s bark. 

“Can you just leave us the hell alone?” Hermione snapped at the arrogant brat. She clenched her fists tightly when Draco simply snorted at her question. Harry and Ron moved to stand behind her. Harry was ready to hold her back while Ron seemed ready to cheer her on. She was never the one to start their arguments, but today had been the final straw. 

“Or what?” Draco flashed her his pretty smirk. “What are you going to do, Hermione?” He took a step closer, his eyes shining with delight. “Going to stomp your foot again? Shout at me a little more?” Draco let out a short, cruel laugh. “None of that is going to get your boyfriend his family’s home back. The land has already been pur—“

Draco could’ve gone on for ten more minutes if he hadn’t been interrupted by Hermione’s fist. Without thinking, she let her fist slam into his face, finally an efficient method of shutting him up. Both groups of teens stared at each other as Draco slowly wiped blood from his bottom lip. He held his hand up and eyed it for a moment. Then, his eyes narrowed in on her. 

“ Run! ” Neville shouted. The five of them took off as fast as they could, away from the cracked cement and across the grass field. They ran away from the red brick buildings that held them captive for four years and out into their city, the city that was supposed to be their home but was slowly kicking them out. They ran like they had nothing left because—for the most part—they didn’t. 

—

Present Day

Two weeks passed before Hermione saw another glimpse of Theodore Nott. Holed up in the corner of the campus Starbucks, she sat for hours and worked on her thesis while continuously getting free refills of hot coffee. It was the best plan for a poor college student in a cold town. She hadn’t planned to see anyone she knew; she wasn’t exactly social with her fellow students. It was her hiding spot now that she was cautious of the library stacks. Hermione was so lost in her own world that she didn’t even notice Theo’s presence until he sat in the chair across from her. Her eyes snapped up to him and she yanked her ear plugs out. 

“Theo, you should—“

“You owe me this.” His words were firm, yet held the same warmth from the other evening. She didn’t mean to look into his eyes, but there she found him pleading with her. She ceased her arguing. 

With a quiet sigh, Hermione nodded and settled back into her seat. “Fine.”

Theo took a moment to breathe. It was obvious he hadn’t expected her to say ‘yes’ so easily. That pleased her a little. “You didn’t listen to what Draco was trying to say.”

“I don’t—“

“You said you’d listen.” His firm tone ended her arguing again. Hermione used her adult willpower to fight the urge she had to stomp her foot. She hated being corrected, interrupted, scolded—and this felt like all three. Theo knew how stubborn she could be and he looked prepared to wait her out. She had a reputation. 

“Fuck, fine, get on with it,” she mumbled before indulging in an extra long drink of her coffee. If only caffeine could save her now. 

“He works in politics right now—yes—but nothing like his fucked up dad does.” Theo paused for a second and Hermione felt him assessing her expression, which she purposely hid behind the disposable coffee cup she was cradling. “Draco’s currently involved in two local, grass root movements to ensure housing for the unhoused population. He isn’t like his father. He doesn’t use his last name to get him any favors done. He isn’t using these good deeds to make himself look nice. This is what he’s passionate about. This is his future. ”

Theo stood quietly. He politely pushed in his chair and looked at Hermione. His expression made it clear it still wasn’t her turn to talk. “You can hate him all you want, but you don’t get to hate him for being like his father. He spends everyday trying to make up for the shit his dad does to people. You can hold your grudges or whatever, but you don’t get to do that.” And with that, Theo silently left. 

—

High School, Sophomore Year

“Did she break any of my teeth or anything?” Draco asked. He was sitting on his bed, legs spread. Kneeled between them was his secret boyfriend, Theodore. Theo gently looked at Draco’s mouth before shaking his head. He was pretty certain he would know if he had broken a tooth, but there was just so much blood leaving his mouth that he wasn’t certain.

“Nah, you got lucky. You’ve got some cuts on the inside of your mouth, but that’s about it. It might even heal before your father gets back in town.” Theo sat back on his butt and smiled. 

“What in God’s name are you smiling about right now?” Draco groaned. He cradled a bag of ice to the side of his face that bitch had punched. He couldn’t believe a girl had fucked him up so badly. 

Theo tried to fight his smile for a moment, but when he couldn’t succeed, he shook his head. “It’s just… You have to admit, it’s pretty hot that she can throw a right hook that hard.” He tried to play it off as a joke, but Draco could hear the break in his unstable teenage voice. 

“What, do you like the bitch?” Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. “She’s a try hard. She’s always raising her hand in all of our classes, always like ‘oh! oh! pick me!’. It’s annoying as shit.” 

His boyfriend watched him with a quirked eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Draco insisted before looking over at his wall conveniently. 

“Oh, right.” Theo smirked and ran a finger up Draco’s shin. “Is that why you always get so flustered when she’s around? You always become such a dick if she’s within earshot. Gotta outsmart her, gotta make fun of her; it’s always something.” Theo paused—both his words and his trailing finger. “It sounds like someone has a crush on Hermione Granger!”

“Theo!” Draco scolded and slapped his hand away. “How could you say that? I’m with you! God damnit, Theo.”

“Baby, you can have a crush on someone else and still love me,” he said in a warm voice. Theo offered his boyfriend one of his private smiles, one of the many moments they kept just between themselves. He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You know, if it was different and she didn’t hate our guts, I think we could date her.”

Draco shook his head, but he couldn’t fight off the smile his dorky boyfriend caused. “Great, so we’re two closeted bi boys with a crush on a girl who hates us. What a dream we live.” He rolled his eyes and fell back onto his bed. Draco stared at his ceiling while Theo moved to lie in the same position next to him. 

“Hey, at least we might not always be closeted,” Theo chimed, his contagious hope seeping through. He laced his fingers with Draco’s and gave them a soft squeeze.

“Let’s save that for another day,” Draco said tiredly. “I’ve already made enough of an ass out of myself today.”

Chapter Text

Present Day

Hermione spent the Monday of the school’s three day weekend holed up in the library. After Theo’s talk with her, she slowly let herself start spending her spare time in the stacks again. She was hoping to see him, to run into him, to get the chance to apologize for making such a gigantic ass out of herself, but he hadn’t been around.

With the library practically empty, Hermione grabbed two more reference books to go photocopy pages of before heading home. She stopped when she saw Theo using the machine already, a stack of books next to him. She came up next to him and gently set her books next to his.

“Hey,” she started lamely. It was enough for Theo to look up from his current task and turn his attention to her.

“Didn't think I’d see you again,” he told her quietly. Theo had to tilt his head down to make eye contact at their close proximity. Hermione was regretting moving so close, even if it was to maintain the library’s level of quiet. She could smell his cologne; he smelled like fall spices and something warm. It made it hard for her to think straight. 

“I’m sorry I made such an ass of myself at dinner.” She offered him a small smile as an apology and he accepted it with a nod. 

“You really did.” Theo let himself smile and Hermione felt herself relax. Maybe she hadn’t messed everything up yet. “If you want to make an absolute fool of yourself again, I’m making chicken parm tonight and you’re welcome to come.”

Hermione couldn’t help but feel excitement at the offer, but she hesitated. “Are you sure? I can’t imagine Draco wants to see my face ever again.” She tugged on her fingers, a nervous habit she’d held on to from childhood.

Theo smirked to himself. “I’m fairly certain he’d love your company.” He set one of his larger hands on top of her two worrying hands. “I promise it’ll be okay. I’m not feeding you to the sharks. He gets it.”

With her nervous actions now halted, Hermione took a moment to worry her lip. “Alright, fine. I’ll come over for dinner—but this time I’m bringing something. Are you two red or white wine drinkers?”

“Red.” Theo smiled at her and she let a warm feeling wash over her. It was nice to have people to visit and socialize with. 

She wanted to continue to have people to socialize with, so she made a point to ignore the tingly feeling she got in her stomach due to his hand on hers. There was no need to address that issue.

—

Wielding two bottles of what she hoped passed for decent red wine, Hermione knocked on the apartment door she had stood at over a month ago. She was greeted by an unusual sight: Draco opened the door, but he wasn’t his neat, well-kept self. He was in a dirty, neon orange shirt that read ‘Homes for All’ in black, bold letters. Instead of a nice pair of jeans, he had on a stained pair of khaki cargo pants. If it weren’t for the fact that the man before her still bore his face, Hermione wouldn’t have believed it was him. 

“Hey,” Draco greeted awkwardly. He stepped aside and made room for her to enter. “Theo’s running a little late from the store; he should be here any time now. Feel free to make yourself at home in the living room. I’ve gotta take a quick shower before dinner or he’ll scowl all night.” 

Hermione followed him into the apartment. Draco gestured to their light, open living room and she settled down into the couch. She was at a loss for words. Never in her life had she seen Draco Malfoy look so...normal. It was unsettling. She gave him a nod indicating she was comfortable, giving him the okay to turn and disappear back into what she could only assume was their bedroom. 

With her alone time in their living space, Hermione quickly pulled out her phone and googled ‘Homes for All’. There had to be a catch. It was a relatively common phrase, but locally it was connected to a nonprofit organization that built mini-homes for the unhoused population. It was meant to help individuals or couples get back on their feet so they could transition to different housing programs. Her phone screen locked from inactivity due to how much she was rereading the About Us page on the organizations website. She knew she had been an ass, but she couldn’t imagine Draco changing so much. He was spending his days doing manual labor to help others. If she called Harry or Ron and told them that, they’d think she was insane. 

Now, not only did Draco look handsome, but he had a passionate soul. Overly pale, grease-slicked hair boy wasn’t really a type Hermione paid attention to, but messy construction man with a big heart? That grabbed her attention and she didn’t like it. These men were too pretty, too nice, too well put together. It made her sweat a little.

Theo arrived not much later, his entrance breaking Hermione out of her nervous state. He came in with his arms full with two grocery bags. Hermione made herself useful and tried her best to help put the items away, despite not knowing where most of them went.

“Thanks for giving me another chance,” she told quietly as she put a hunk of Parmesan cheese away in the fridge. “I really appreciate the socialization.”

“Do you know anyone else on campus?” Theo probed. He quickly set to work on dinner, his hands busy with a knife and uncooked chicken. 

“Not really,” Hermione admitted. “I moved here in August and I’ve been too busy with my thesis and classes to really go out and make friends. It’s different with you—I already know you.” She paused, “sort of.”

“We don’t know many people either,” Theo confessed. “Draco knows some people from work that we go out with every now and then, but that’s really all. Pansy comes out here once every so many months to cheer up Draco and that’s always a good time.”

“Why does he need so much cheering up?” She moved a bar stool to the kitchen island and watched him work. “Doesn’t he have you for that?” Hermione didn’t mean to sound like an ass, but she couldn’t imagine the pretty boy had too much to worry his head over.

Theo let out a sigh. He gave her a look that told her she was making bad assumptions again. She made a mental note to try her best not to do that anymore. “His mother likes to fly up and visit us every few months. It’s her attempt to make him ‘see the light’ and bring him back home.” Theo was overly interested in the chicken, but Hermione didn’t miss his quiet snort of disgust. “His nice Mommy doesn’t want her only son going to Hell for sinning.”

“If she only knew.” Hermione turned quickly to find Draco standing in the arch that led into the kitchen. Had she mentioned he was pretty? “Talking shit about my dear mom?”

“Who else?” Theo muttered. Draco made his way to his fiancé and gave him a kiss on the cheek, the most intimacy Hermione had seen them exchange. 

“Oh love, we have so many people to shit talk.” With a smirk, Draco turned to the two bottles of wine Hermione had set in the counter. “Mind if we start into these? I find it helps to have a glass of alcohol in hand when discussing parents.”

Hermione watched both men as they waited for her reaction. This was it. She could choose to flow with the new versions of the men before her or leave and assume the worst. They were giving her an out in case it was too much for her. 

She was suddenly very thankful courage was one of her defining traits.

With a lift of her chin, she nodded. “I’d love a glass,” Hermione stated. “I did my best picking some out. I don’t know much about wine; I’m more of a tequila girl.”

Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he left out a sound she hadn’t heard leave him without malice attached to it. He was laughing, laughing in genuine, honest delight.

“Here that, Theo? Our girl likes tequila.” With a smile still on his face, Draco grabbed three wine glasses. “You did pretty good for someone with no knowledge of wine shopping at a grocery store. If you ever want to learn more about it, I can give you an easy run down. Dear Daddy was a wine snob.”

“I might take you up on that some time,” she told him. To her own surprise, she found herself smiling as well. He set a full glass in front of her and she quickly took a big drink to ease her nerves. She had expected to find her fill of company at dinner so she could return to her hermit lifestyle for a few more weeks. She never expected to enjoy herself.

“Anyone want to grate the cheese for me?” Theo asked. 

—

High School, Freshman Year

If there was one thing Draco Malfoy hated, it was that his heart sped up when he saw her. Her frizzy hair was impossible to miss. The thing is, it wasn’t frizzy; it was curly and kinky and absolutely beautiful. It had at least seven different shades of brown and gold in it. In the past week alone, Draco had caught himself spaced out in class, just staring at her hair at least a dozen times. It was big and beautiful and demanded respect. It was loud like her.

By God, Hermione Granger was loud. She was loud in the way his mother taught him women weren’t meant to be. She had all sorts of opinions and she was always stating them firmly. They were backed by a fiery passion that he knew he should be afraid of, a passion his family only possessed for money. Any smart man should be afraid of Hermione Granger. That was the issue. 

Draco was afraid of Hermione. He was afraid of what liking her meant. Staring at the back of her head during study hours in the library meant something—it meant he was abandoning what his parents taught him to aim for. He was afraid of her because Malfoy’s didn’t like girls with darker skin and parents that weren’t rich. They didn’t love girls from the other side of town, even if her parents were well-off dentists. Draco Malfoy was absolutely terrified of her. 

That’s why, when Hermione turned around and noticed Draco staring at him, he snarled. “What the fuck do you want, Granger?” He snapped at her, at the girl with the beautiful hair and the buck teeth and the fire-filled soul. “Turn the fuck back around.”

“Jesus, Malfoy,” Hermione snorted, startled. “Do you know any words that aren’t ‘fuck’? We are in a library. There are plenty of dictionaries if you’d like to expand your vocabulary a tad.”

With that, she turned her back to him and Draco went back to staring at her. He went back to ignoring the math homework that sat blank in the table before him, unused pencil in hand. He went back to memorizing the back of her head, every curl, every kink, the way her shoulders sat. The only parts of her he’d ever get to know. 

Chapter Text

Present Day

Life began to change after their night of chicken parmesan and wine. Most nights Hermione would receive a text in their new group chat asking if she’d like to come eat dinner with them. The first few days they had plenty of excuses to explain why. Theo had bought too much, it was too good not to share, Draco would be out late and they couldn’t just leave Theo alone. Then—eventually—the excuses faded away.

Theo would text them ideas for dinner and they’d come to an agreement, then show up around six. The invitations soon disappeared and it was just an agreed upon decision. It made sense to them all; they all wanted company and there was always plenty of food.

Theo couldn’t help but smile to himself as the unlocked front door swung open. He could hear  the voices of both his partner and Hermione heatedly discussing how awful one particular bill that was up for debate at the Senate was. He liked hearing them agree, bringing up points the other one approved of. From his spot at the island, Theo was able to see both Hermione and Draco drop their bags off by the door, remove their shoes, and hang their jackets up in the hall closet. Draco wordlessly helped Hermione out of her own coat and she didn't make a sound of disapproval. A few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have let Draco that close to her. Now, she moved easily with them. They had a routine. 

“Hi babe,” Draco greeted Theo as they made his way into the kitchen. He kissed Theo’s cheek lightly before pulling out the wine glasses. 

Hermione excitedly placed two bottles of wine on the bar with a grin. “Draco tried to explain wines to me today,” she said to Theo. 

“Emphasize the ‘tried’ bit,” Draco snorted. “For someone who is so bright, she really couldn’t grasp the new concepts at all.”

Hermione made eye contact with Theo and they rolled their eyes together before breaking out in laughter. “Not my fault I don’t think drinking should need such an excessive amount of thinking involved.”

“That’s why you’re a tequila girl, right?” Theo teased.

“Exactly,” Hermione nodded and set to work opening up the first bottle of wine.

“How about I provide tequila next time we’re hanging out and it’s not a weeknight?” Draco offered. He held out a wine glass that Hermione generously filled. 

“That sounds splendid to me,” she practically purred. “Wine is great and all, but I could use a damn margarita.”

“I thought we provided enough sweet and sour around here for you,” Draco teased. Theo watched as Hermione sputtered and almost lost her grip on the bottle of wine. She grabbed one of the filled cups and took a long drink. 

His fiancé had picked up a new hobby in the time they had been spending together. Draco flirted with Hermione lightly whenever he could. It left Hermione flustered, stumbling, lost for words.

Theo and Draco spent their evenings in bed next to each other theorizing whether that meant she liked the flirting or it was simply startling her. They discussed her blushes, if the timing meant it was for them or out of modesty. Did she let her hand brush Draco’s on purpose? Did she mean to keep her gaze on Theo while he cooked for that long? Did that register as staring? Did she stare at them too?

God, Theo prayed she was staring at them too. 

—

“I can’t believe I finally have friends that’ll watch classic movies with me.” Hermione’s voice was close to an excited squeal that it made the men on either side of her smile.

Friends . That was good enough. 

They were situated on the couch with Hermione sat comfortably between Theo and Draco. They were shoulder-to-shoulder, a warm fleece blanket draped across her lap. 

Hermione was beaming and her happiness was contagious. It made Draco wonder how little others had paid attention to her interests before. He wanted to enjoy the moment for only the joy radiating off of her, but he kept thinking back to high school. Draco couldn’t imagine Weasley being able to feign interest in Jane Eyre , but certainly Potter could’ve at least pretended. He could remember the boys teasing her for her excessive reading, but had that continued out to her other hobbies? Did anyone explore antique stores with her? Visit hole-in-the-wall coffee shops that she loves? Go to see the cats at the local cat café?

“Hermione, have you never had friends that liked the same things as you?” Draco asked carefully. He made sure to fill his voice with curiosity. If she heard even a hint of judgement, he might scare her off. He didn’t want to make her feel bad; he wanted to understand. Theo gave him a look that translated easily into a warning to tread lightly. 

Both men didn’t miss the blush that swept across Hermione’s cheeks. “Ginny watched classics with me back during high school when we had sleepovers. The boys always complained about my movie taste so we never really watched any together. They were my main people until the break up…” Her voice trailed off for a second. “I’ve had a few friends here and there, but none of them really shared many interests with me.” Hermione shrugged it off.

“Well that’s a damn shame,” Theo states simply. “I guess we should’ve found you sooner, huh?” He offered her a friendly grin which she returned warmly. Draco could see her embarrassment melting away. It was hard not to think she belonged with them. 

“Good thing you found two men with good taste.” Draco slung an arm over her shoulders and let his hand rest right on Theo’s closest shoulder to him before the movie started. He felt Hermione tensen for a moment before slowly easing into his touch. She leaned back against him, letting her arms brush against both his and Theo’s. By the time the opening scene was rolling, it felt like they often lounged around just as they were. It was comfortable—almost familiar. 

—

High School, Senior Year

“‘Mione!” She knew that voice even from several yards behind her. Hermione kept walking. If Ron needed her attention bad enough to holler at her, she was certain he could manage to catch up with her. “Damnit, Hermione, just—fuck—wait!”

Wait she did not. It only took him a few moments of running to catch up with her walking away. It was impossible to ignore Ron’s running seeing as the slapping of his sneakers onto the concrete was loud enough to give her a migraine. Ron Weasley was easily the number one cause of all her headaches. 

“What do you want, Ronald?” Hermione snapped. He stopped directly in her path, causing her to halt. She crossed her arms across her chest, the way Harry labeled her “warning stance”. 

“Why are you so angry? I just said you shouldn’t be sitting so close to those guys!” Ron’s voice cracked as he tried to explain himself, his voice going a register higher due to his absolute confusion as to how he could ever be wrong.

“You’ve got no right to tell me where I can and cannot sit!” She bit back at him. “You’re not my father, you’re not my boyfriend, you aren’t my anything! You don’t get to tell me what the fuck I can and cannot do.”

Ron threw his hands up in an act of innocence. “Jesus Christ, ‘Mione! All I said was that I didn’t like how Malloy and Nott keep starin’ at you! I’m looking after you—you’re my friend! You can look after your friends, you know.” His voice has raised in volume to match hers and they had begun to draw a small crowd. There weren’t too many people out wandering the campus during study period, but they had managed to attract as many stragglers as were out. 

“I’m not going to give up my study spot because of how you feel about some boys,” Hermione snorted. She dramatically rolled her eyes and he let out an irritated shout. “All I was doing was sitting at a table near a table where some boys you hate sit. I can sit wherever I damn well please, Ronald! If you want to have the right to tell me where I can and cannot sit, you should’ve done something about it ages ago.”

Ron’s face turned a shade of red that clashed horribly with his hair. “That’s not why I’m telling you to move!” He waved his hands in a desperate, agitated motion that only made Hermione narrow her eyes. “They stare at you, watch you like you’re some oddity! It’s fucked up! I—“

“I’m done with this conversation, Ron.” Hermione cut him off swiftly. She didn’t want to hear anymore of what he had to say—especially not during the show he was putting on for their classmates. She didn’t need him to tell her there were two boys staring at her while she studied. She didn’t need him to tell her that she should probably move her study spot. She didn’t need him to tell her anything at all. 

Because what Hermione Granger knew was that maybe she liked that those two asshole boys paid more attention to her than Ron Weasley ever had, but it wouldn’t ever matter. In three weeks she was graduating high school and would never see Malloy or Nott again and she could stop pretending. 

—

Present Day

So, maybe—just maybe—Draco shouldn’t have bought such a large bottle of Don Julio tequila. He thought drinking tequila with Hermione and Theo sounded hilarious, but that shit was messy.

“Shots!” The lion-maned woman announced as she held up her shot glass and threw back a fifth shot of tequila. Theo let out an excited hoot and followed suit, the amber liquid disappearing down his throat. Draco knew Theo was one to party a little too hard; he hadn’t considered the repercussions of putting the two bookworms together drunk. 

He was turned on with a mix of a little fear. 

“Alright, no more shots for tonight,” Draco stated firmly. He snatched the shot glasses out of both of their hands quickly, grateful that three shots did very little for him. Ignoring the whines of Hermione and Theo, Draco set the dirty shot glasses in the sink and hid the clean ones up in a tall cabinet. “None of that,” he snorted with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll make you each a drink. You two need to pace yourselves. Christ, we aren’t high schoolers anymore.”

Hermione looked at the men with her eyebrows pulled together. “You two drank in high school?” Her confusion was evident and Draco did his best to swallow back a loud snort. Both himself and Theo eyed her, sitting at their island with them, and tried to figure out how serious she was.

“Uhh, yeah,” Theo replied. Draco could tell he was trying not to sound rude. It didn’t work, but the alcohol fuzziness covered it enough that Hermione didn’t seem to notice. 

“Was I the only person alive that waited until I made it to college?” Her question was rhetorical, but it took all of Draco’s strength not to be an ass and answer it anyways. 

“Oh you sweet girl,” was the answer he went with instead and Hermione seemed rather content with it. She smiled at him, which caused Theo’s eyebrows to raise in interest. Maybe either of them being drunk around Hermione wasn’t the smartest of plans. 

As a means of distraction, Draco set to work and made two quick margaritas for Theo and Hermione. He set the drinks in front of them both and was rewarded with two wide grins. 

“Thanks, babe!” Theo told him happily before taking a big drink. 

Hermione smiled down at the drink before taking a sip. “These are my favorite.”

Draco rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips. For a woman everyone made seem so difficult in high school, she really was easy to please. Classic movies, margaritas, and pasta seemed to be the key to her happiness. 

“So I have a question,” Theo announced from his spot on his stool. Draco’s stomach dropped slightly as he tried to make eye contact with his partner. Whatever drunk Theo suddenly thought was appropriate to ask probably was not. 

“Theo—“

“Ask away!” Hermione replied loudly, holding her drink up to signify her readiness. Draco could help but groan. 

“Maybe we should wait until we are more sober—“

His argument was messily spoken over due to Theo having his own agenda. “What the hell happened between you and Ron Weasley?” Theo leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows at Hermione. Pleased with himself, he took a big sip of his drink and grinned at her. 

Hermione let out a drunken giggle and shrugged. “Nothing, I guess?” She used her straw to play with the ice cubes in her cup. “We spent high school playing this game of tag. I’d chase after him and he’d tell me he wasn’t ready or in ‘the right head space’—which what the fuck was that? Then I would start to move on and he would tell me he was in love with me. I’d cut off whatever feelings I was beginning to get for whomever else and right as I was ready to be with Ron, he’d start the game over again. Kept saying I made him wait too long or some shit.”

Maybe Draco was slightly grateful for Theo being drunk. He had always been curious about Weasley and now he really did want to punch the redhead. 

“What an asshat,” Theo said angrily and Draco nodded in agreement. 

“It was just so stupid.” Hermione kept her eyes focused on her now empty cup. “Then we all graduated and Harry, Ron, and I all moved to the same area. Ron and I tried the dating thing, but nothing I did was right. I read too much, studied too hard, cared about cleanliness too much. God, I could never do anything right.” Draco noticed her other hand clenched into a fist. 

“There was this one night we went out for dinner,” Hermione explained. “It was nice so we got dressed up and met there—I had come directly from class. I tried so hard to do my hair and makeup myself and when I got there he told me I looked...just, not like he expected. It’s like he wanted one of those romcom ugly-girl-turns-model scenes? He was talking loud about it in the restaurant. I’ll never forget the way everyone was looking at me—like I was pitiful for being with him.” Hermione shook her head.

“I moved out the next week. The Weasleys stopped inviting me over for holidays which sucked. Harry kept in contact at first, but that only lasted a few months even when we lived in the same town. Then I graduated and moved here.” She shook out her hands and took a sip of her drink that was only melted ice water. “But yeah, it’s whatever.”

“‘It’s whatever?’” Theo repeated before Draco could even open his mouth. He was a little impressed—out of the two of them, Theo tended to be more passive than Draco. “That’s an awful story, Hermione. I mean, we all knew Ron Weasley was an ass, but holy shit. That’s just the definition of emotional abuse spelled out right in front of you.”

“No, really, it’s—“

“Hermione.” Theo’s voice was gentle, firm, and somehow a little sober. “He wasn’t nice to you and you’re allowed to be upset about that while still enjoying the positive moments you shared. I mean, we can handle the full time job that hating him will require, but you can be upset, too, you know.”

Draco watched the brave, stubborn, righteous woman before him unravel. The tears came first—just a few and then a sea of them. Her eyes changed from empty to so sad that it made his chest ache . Then her shoulders dropped and began to shake. The sobbing came last.

“I think it’s time to lay down,” Draco said softly. When Hermione nodded, Draco walked to her side and swiftly scooped her up into his arms. He expected her to politely decline, but she leaned into him quickly. One of her hands clutched at his shirt and Draco considered for the first time that maybe she had never talked to anyone about Ron. Had she had anyone to vent to about him? Had she had time to cry and mourn that relationship, the part of herself she lost? He was fairly certain she hadn’t. 

Theo put their glasses in the sink and lead the way for his fiancé, stumbling only slightly. He cleared the path of stools and opened their bedroom door. Draco asked quietly if Hermione wanted to spend the night and she said yes. When he asked if she would like to take the bed, she refused to let go of his shirt. The three of them found themselves under the white comforter, Hermione in the middle and held tight by both Theo and Draco. Theo gently stroked her hair and Draco let her soak his shirt with tears and snot.

They stayed there past when she cried herself to sleep, past when she sighed softly in her slumber and held onto them both. They laid there together, looking at each other in the quiet darkness as their dream woman laid between them in a pleasant sleep. It might’ve started off a harmless crush, but Draco was certain that she had both of their hearts at that point. Hermione could ask for anything she wanted and they’d give it to her. 

Chapter Text

Things were changing and they were changing without them even noticing. Hermione spent the night at their place whenever they stayed up too late talking or it started to rain too hard. She’d pop up at Draco’s work if her class was cancelled to bring him a cup of coffee. Theo and Hermione quietly did classwork together instead of alone. If Draco had free time, he’d postmate food to Theo and Hermione during their study sessions. Even when they weren’t all together, their group chat was going off. They were all always on each other's' minds constantly.  

Draco and Theo did their best not to question what it could all mean. It was hard not to try and read a hidden meaning into a woman sleeping in their bed with them, but they didn’t want to ruin what they had. Having Hermione as their best friend was already much more than either of them thought they’d ever achieve. They were her go-to now—her support system.  Theo was thrilled to cook them both dinner each night, thrilled that she never considered just going home to eat, thrilled she wanted to tell them about her day as soon as she could. They were convinced it was enough for them.

At least, it had been enough for Draco to justify it to himself. He hadn’t thought about having to justify it to anyone else, to have to look Pansy in the eyes and tell her everything was totally and utterly normal.

“What in God’s name do you mean Hermione Granger spends every evening just chilling here?” Pansy demanded in her highest, shrillest tone—the one that hurt Draco’s insides. There was no warm welcome from his childhood best friend. She dropped her bags on his living room floor and immediately asked who the feminine, pale pink cardigan on the couch belonged to. Thankfully, it was only noon and Hermione was away at class. 

“I mean...exactly that.” Draco spoke carefully and quickly dodged the smack he sent her way. “Hey, hey! Knock that off!”

“Draco Malfoy!” She shrieked again. “Hermione fuckin’ Granger?” Pansy leaned forward for emphasis, staring directly into his soul so he couldn’t break eye contact. “The same Hermione Granger you terrorized for years?”

“Err, yes. That Hermione.” He was incredibly cautious with his words. Grateful she had set down her heavy bags, he dodged another smack. “Oi! Why is this a problem to you?”

Pansy took a very deep breath and tried to calm herself. “Draco, you basically stalked that woman in high school.” It was obvious she was trying to keep her tone even with him. He could see her flexing and unflexing her hands, trying to do her best to keep her cool. “Do you think it’s healthy to have her over here all the time? You’ve got something really good with Theo going on and I don’t want to see you ruining—“

“Oh god, fuck, no—“ Draco interrupted quickly, his words stumbling over each other. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring gesture. “Uh, Theo knows about the high school stuff and he invited her over here first. Does that help at all?” He gave her a wary grin in hopes it would calm her nerves enough. 

“Okay, that calms the rage a little,” Pansy admitted and the hand flexing eased. Her face got less tight and she rolled her shoulders to shake out all the negative energy he had just brought upon her. “Why haven’t you mentioned this to me before? I thought you told me everything?” 

Draco tried not to meet her eye contact, but her you’re-in-trouble stare broke him. With a weak shrug, he offered an explanation, “I knew you wouldn’t be too thrilled? I thought I’d wait to see how it all played out and then we could talk. It didn’t go well at the beginning.”

“That’s because she’s a smart girl,” Pansy snorted. “No offense, love, but I don’t see any way this can positively work out.” She sat on the couch and crossed her legs, exactly like her mother did. It was eerie for Draco to see the resemblance so clearly.

“We’re just friends,” Draco asserted again with a shake of his head. “It’s not anything serious, Pansy. She eats dinner with us because she lives alone, sometimes she studies with Theo while I’m at work, and that’s basically it.” He didn’t think all the cuddling needed to be mentioned. Or the drinking. God, did they drink…

“‘Just friends’?” Pansy asked with one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised. “Then she’ll be at dinner tonight, right? You said she eats most dinners with you.” Pansy threw on her most pleasant smile and Draco felt his stomach drop. 

No one saw through his bullshit like Pansy.

“Yeah, sure,” Draco said with as firm of a voice as he could manage. He pulled out his phone and sent a message in the group chat letting it be known Hermione was invited to Pansy’s dinner that night. “I’m sure she’d love it see you.”

“Oh, not nearly as much as I’d love to see her.” The words left Pansy’s mouth as a purr, causing Draco’s anxiety about the dinner to spike even more. 

Pansy had spent all of high school aware of his crush on Hermione Granger. She had watched and scolded him profusely for years. She told him it wasn’t healthy (it wasn’t), that it was creepy (it was), and a slew of other things. It was the number one decision of his she disapproved of—and that was saying a lot. He was terrified; that’s why he had searched the whole apartment that morning before leaving to get Pansy from the airport for any hints of Hermione. That woman had a habit of leaving a trail of her belongs behind her. Theo had given him the all clear and then he had left. 

Draco closed his eyes and stood still for a moment. He had left Theo alone in the apartment. Theo, the man who had insisted they didn’t hide Hermione from anyone. Theo, his loving, meddling fiancé. Theo, the man who just so happened to be at office hours currently. 

“That fucker,” Draco murmured.

—

High School, Junior Year  

Hermione never wanted to be the girl that spent third period crying in a bathroom stall. She had never skipped class before, but today was a first. Crabbe had stuck a nasty, pink wad of gum to a chunk of her curls. She simultaneously wanted to vomit and sob. The wad of gum had to be the combination of at least four sticks, which meant he had even chewed it all with the intention of putting it in her hair. She was so embarrassed, so humiliated that she just wanted to go home and never come back. 

The bathroom door swung open with an annoying whine and promptly slammed shut. Hermione pressed her palm against her mouth to stifle her own crying. She wasn’t sure the day could get any worse. 

“Hey.” The voice that spoke was familiar, one Hermione had known since middle school. It was nasally, a little on the side of whiney.“I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but Theo told me what Crabbe did and I’m here to help. That was seriously fucked up of him.”

Hermione’s eyes widened. There was a fair chance that this was another part of the prank, another step to humiliate her more. That voice belonged to Pansy Parkinson, local mean girl. She was either out there being honest or waiting to take a photo of her with her Razor phone. 

Truth be told, Hermione knew she didn’t have much left to lose. If Pansy knew how to get gum out of her hair, she needed that aid. The only way she could fix it herself was a hack job with a pair of safety scissors she had in her bag. 

With much caution, Hermione gathered herself and wiped her eyes. She left the bathroom stall to find Pansy standing alone by the sink with a jar of peanut butter in her hands. 

“Daphne is blocking the door so no one will see what happened,” Pansy told her. Hermione was taken aback hearing her speak with a gentle tone. “It’s the girl code, ya know? If you bleed through your pants, I’d tell you even if we hated each other.”

Hermione nodded weakly. “I’d do the same,” she replied. She knew her voice sounded watery, but she was trying her best.

“Crabbe is honestly such a fuckass.” Pansy shook her head. “Theo told me what happened and wanted to see if I could help.” She held up the jar of peanut butter to show it to her. “This does the trick. Your hair will smell a bit weird for a few washes, but it’s better than chopping it off.”

“Where did you find that?” Hermione asked with a small laugh. She felt like she was living in a sitcom. 

“I broke into the cafeteria kitchen,” she replied with a shrug. “Girl code, ya know?”

Hermione finally felt like she wasn’t going to burst out sobbing. She let out a quiet laugh and smiled. “Of course, girl code.”

—

Present Day

“This is some really good alfredo, Theo,” Hermione said between two mouthfuls of food. She had been having the time of her life the past few months—because of the food, obviously. Theo could cook and she loved it. She hadn’t had good, homemade food since she had last visited Mrs. Weasley and that had been years ago. 

“How have you been, Hermione?” Pansy asked politely.

Pansy sat across from Hermione, the exact opposite of her. Pansy had perfected manners, crisply ironed clothes, and neat hair. Hermione—on the other hand—put her elbows on the table, wore a wrinkled flannel buttoned up, and had her wild, kinky hair pulled back in a messy bun. She knew it was particularly messy that evening because Draco had a bad habit of staring at her hair when it was messier than usual. Hermione had tried to explain to him that it was rude to point out flaws like that, but the conversation had just ended with Draco choking on a mouthful of wine and Theo laughing profusely. Boys could be idiots. 

“I’m doing really well,” Hermione replied. “The university has a rare collection of books I need for my thesis, they’ve got a wonderful program I’m in, and I happened to make friends with these two.” She motioned to the men at the table. “Everything’s been very nice. How have you been doing?”

Pansy politely dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “I’ve been doing really well also. I live in a lovely apartment out in New York. I try and visit Draco a few times a year—when I get the chance.” The smile on her lips shifted slightly. “Usually Draco and I talk all the time, but I had no idea about your presence here until I came in from my flight this morning. Isn’t that odd?”

Hermione saw both men shift uncomfortably. Draco was glaring at Pansy while Theo was eyeing his plate of pasta. “Can’t be too odd, I imagine,” Hermione said as smoothly as she could. “I’m here so often it probably just feels like another day.” She shrugged genuinely and continued eating her pasta. 

There was a moment of silence only filled with the clinking of Hermione’s utensils. Pansy watched her closely as her eyes narrowed. “How often would you say you’re over here?” She painted her voice sweet, stepping on Theo’s foot when he opened his mouth. 

“Every night,” Hermione replied quickly. She looked up from her food and gave Pansy a questioning gaze. “We all eat dinner together every night. What’s it any business to you?”

Hermione watched Pansy set down her utensils and take a deep breath. Draco opened his mouth and began to speech, but Pansy held up a hand to him and effectively quieted him. 

“I’m going to do you a favor, Hermione Granger, and fill you in on something these dumb boys have obviously left you out of the loop in.” Pansy set her elbows gently on the table and folded her hands. She rested her chin there and watched with amusement in her eyes as she spoke. “I know it isn’t my place to speak here, but seeing as these dumbasses won’t ever reveal what you’ve gotten yourself into, I’m going to stick to that girl code one more time.”

“They’re in love with you.” The words left Pansy’s mouth like a dagger rather than a caress. They weren’t nice nor pleasant, as those words are meant to be. 

“Pansy, stop—“ Draco interrupted her, but Pansy just kept talking over him. His cheeks were bright red, like they used to get when he and Ron would fight. 

“They won’t ever do anything about it,” she continued. “They’ve been since high school. You spend so much time here, you have the right to know that while you’re here pursuing friendship and shit, they’re looking for a lot more than you’re expecting.”

Hermione was in a daze. Pansy’s words were articulate, fast, sharp. She didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t given the time to put anything together. “I—“

“Just go home, Granger,” Pansy snorted. “We know you don’t fit in here. You didn’t in high school; you don’t now. Go home and stay there.”

Desperate for an alternative solution, Hermione looked to Theo and Draco. Draco was glaring at Pansy and avoiding Hermione completely. Theo was staring back down at his pasta, silent to them all. 

“Alright, yeah, I’ll go home,” Hermione said quietly. She stood and left, not even bothering to grab her coat.

Chapter Text

High School, Senior Year

Chemistry was something Theo was good at. He wasn’t particularly fond of it or any other science, but Theo knew as long as his chem partner wasn’t an absolute failure, he would get by with an A. 

What Theo wasn’t expecting was to get paired with Hermione Granger. He’d heard plenty of things about her and her wild curls and her brilliance, but he had never actually interacted with her. At least, not since seventh grade. Draco was always caught up in some mess with her and those idiot boys, but Theo did his best to steer clear of the tragic triad. He didn’t need the chaos they brought with them. If they were as much trouble as Draco made them out to be, Theo was pretty certain that avoiding them was smarter than harassing them any day.

Here she was, his boyfriend’s crush, sitting on the other stool at the lab station he would be using for an entire school year. Theo wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea, but Hermione Granger was the type of student he knew he could work with. With her, he knew he could keep his 4.0 GPA. She could do her own work, carry herself, and he wouldn’t be left doing two people’s work in a class that was absolutely obsolete to him. It could’ve been worse. He could’ve gotten stuck with Ron who--somehow--managed to make his way into a Chemistry Honors class. 

“You’re one of the smart ones, right?” Hermione looked at him with questioning eyes, looking him over. “I know Malfoy has some idiotic boys that follow him around. Can I safely assume you’re one of the few that actually have a functioning brain?”

Her question left him shocked for a second. She had a fair point. Crabbe and Goyle were downright stupid. He had had the same concern about his lab partner moments before until he knew it was her, the infamous know-it-all.

“Yeah, I am,” Theo answered with a shrug. “I--luckily--was given a brain.” His small joke earned him a smile from the girl with the wild curls. Maybe, just maybe, he could see what Draco saw. When she was smiling and not shrieking at them, Hermione looked different. She looked warm, surrounded by soft, kinked curls that had a mind of their own.

Hermione nodded curtly. “Well, if that’s the case, I believe this class will go well. I’ll do my work, you’ll do yours, and it should all go well. I heard Mr. Snape can be really strict.”

“He can be,” Theo agreed. “He can be a downright ass, but as long as we actually do our work, we should be okay.” The class started to settle, ready for the lesson to begin. “I was pretty content when I heard you would be my lab partner. I didn’t need some slacker mucking up my work.”

The well-known hush fell over the room, the telltale sign that Mr. Snape was ready to begin class. That hush kept Hermione from getting the chance to respond, just as Theo had been hoping for. He could tell she rarely received compliments from peers nowadays. Once everyone knows you’re smart, what’s the point of people telling you anymore? Out of the corner of his eye, he watched with satisfaction as she smiled to herself.

--

Present Day

Things were different now. Draco had thought that once Pansy left, everything would return back to normal. He had her move her flight up and sent her on her way, barely able to look at her. Pansy didn’t fight the decision; she wore the expression of a woman who was confident in her choice right down to the moment she boarded her plane.

They had both tried texting Hermione, but there was no answer. The first night Pansy was gone, Theo had tried to cook for just the two of them, but neither of them could find an appetite. The other three nights that week they stuck to take out. It wasn’t the same. Draco couldn’t bare to sit around their table and eat like they had before. Her chair felt empty and he knew Theo felt the same. 

Draco knew he wasn’t handling the situation well, but he had never seen Theo handle something so poorly. Theo had always been the strong one, the one who kept his chin up and knew how to keep his cool. It was Draco’s job to lose himself in his emotions.

It came to a peak one afternoon a week later when Draco came home early from work. He found Theo laying on their couch. The five hour long version of Pride and Prejudice was playing on their television and his fiancé was crying into a couch cushion.

“Oh babe,” Draco murmured. He dropped his bag on the floor and made his way to his partner. Kneeling in front of the couch cushion Theo’s face rested on, Draco gently ran his fingers through Theo’s hair. “Shh, it’s okay. What are you doing home? Didn’t you have class?”

“Fuck class,” Theo mumbled into the cushion. “I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t go. It’s the class we would meet up after to come back here together.” Draco watched as Theo slowly sat up and wiped tears off his face. “Draco, why hasn’t she texted us back? Even to ask for space?”

“I don’t know.” Draco pulled himself up onto the couch next to Theo, avoiding the tear-stained wet spot. “I thought she would at least show up to yell at us. God, why did Pansy have to be such a bitch?” He rubbed his eyes angrily and let out a heavy sigh.

“That’s the thing, Draco,” Theo said quietly. He was looking down at his hands, avoiding Draco’s gaze. “I don’t blame Pansy. Hermione isn’t avoiding us because Pansy’s a bitch. She’s avoiding us because she’s uncomfortable with the fact that we’re in love with her.”

The sadness in Theo’s voice made Draco’s chest ache. He had only heard the man sound so hurt a handful of times and he would’ve done anything to replace that hurt each time. Watching his fiancé avoid looking at him, staring at his hands and trying to still his quivering bottom lip, it made the entire situation so much worse. 

“We don’t know that.” Draco’s voice was quiet, but firm. “She could be avoiding us because she’s overwhelmed. That was a lot of big information all at once told to her by someone who was being a bitch and has always harassed her. Maybe Hermione’s at home right now, just as lost and hurt as us.”

Theo was quiet for a long moment. The silence was filled with desperate hope. “You don’t know that.”

In a very impulsive moment, Draco stood up. “I can find out in about an hour. Stay here, okay babe? I’m going to go talk to her.”

“Draco--”

“We’ve got to know, right?” Draco looked at Theo and waited until he nodded in agreement. “Exactly. At least we can go to sleep tonight knowing for sure what this all meant.”

Theo stared at Draco. “Thank you,” he told him quietly. Draco simply nodded. He knew this wasn’t a conversation Theo could have. Draco could, but that was only because he was fueled by so many emotions. If he let his fuel die down, it would be over for all of them. This was their last hope.

—

High School, Senior Year

Draco’s typical brooding table in the library was empty—just as Theo had hoped. Theo swiped it, settling in and pulling out a notebook he didn’t plan on using. He flipped to a random page and grabbed the first writing utensil he could find and took a page from Draco’s stalker book; he watched Hermione. 

They’d been lab partners for two months now and Theo finally understood. He understood why Draco’s eyes followed her when she walked around class. He could see the logic in the desperate attempts of connection made through his childish bullying. Theo has never met anyone like Hermione Granger.

“Sure, you can sit at my table,” Draco muttered under his breath as he dropped into the seat next to Theo. “Not like this is my alone time or anything.”

“Shove it,” Theo whispered. He elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs, earning a quiet complaint from him. “This is all your fault. I wouldn’t have noticed her if you hadn’t pointed her out to me.”

“My fault?” Draco snorted and shook his head. He pulled out the school’s beat up copy of Jane Eyre and flipped it to a random page. “If you hadn’t pried so much, I wouldn’t have had to tell you.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “God forbid I question what my boyfriend was hiding.” He elbowed Draco again which earned him a light smack on the wrist. “I didn’t want to like her! I’m plenty content with liking one smart ass. I don’t need another one taking up space in my head.”

Draco grinned wickedly and looked down at his book. “We never had a chance, lover boy. She sucked us right in. I’ve never met a soul like her before.” Theo could hear the tones of admiration in his boyfriend’s voice and smiled. It was a rare occurrence to hear. 

“We never stood a chance,” Theo agreed. 

He looked up from his thoughtless doodles and glanced at the back of her head. Her kinky curls were bound up in a bun that particular day, strands trying to escape. Hermione was bent over some old tome that Theo could only assume was casual reading seeing as none of their classes had such a book assigned. She was playing with one of her loose curls, twirling the strand between two of her fingers.

“Pansy’s right,” Draco sighed. “We make pretty shitty gay guys.”

Theo looked pointedly at Draco, who was struggling to stifle his laughter. “Do I need to explain the concept of bisexuality to her again?” He tried to keep his face straight, but the fact that Draco had been accused of being shitty at anything made him want to laugh. 

“I don’t think that’s the bit she cares about. I think she’s still bitter I wouldn’t take her to that dance in middle school and is still clinging to the explanation that it’s okay I said ‘no’ because I’m gay.” Draco let some of his laughter slip out. He loved laughing at Pansy’s expense. As only children, harassing Pansy was the closest they got to picking on a younger sister. 

“Excuse me.” Both boys snapped their heads forward, their attention drawn to the feminine voice in front of them. Hermione had turned around and was glaring at them both with her golden eyes. Had he noticed they were golden before? They looked like what Theo imagined a pot of molten gold looked like. 

“Yes?” Draco sassed. “Can we help you?”

Theo wanted to both hit himself in the forehead and whack Draco over the head with the nearest dictionary he could find. They finally had a chance to converse with their dream girl outside of class and his secret boyfriend had to make an ass out of himself, per usual.

“The two of you are disrupting my learning environment and I’d appreciate it if you could turn it down a bit.” Her voice was stern and matter-of-fact, as if they were being lectured by a teacher. Hermione’s expression was completely serious which didn’t help the fact that they had just been fighting off a fit of laughter just moments before. 

Before Draco could do or say anything he would regret deeply, Theo spoke up. “We’re sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t realize how loud we were getting. We’ll try to quiet down.”

Hermione eyed them both for a moment, particularly Draco who looked like he was suffocating from holding back laughter. Then, she nodded. “Thank you.” With that, she turned around. 

Draco let out a bit of laughter and Theo elbowed him quickly again. “How is she ever going to like us if you keep making an ass out of yourself?” Theo whispered. 

“She’s never going to go for us.” Draco shook his head and gave Theo a sad smile. “You’ve got to know that.”

—

Present Day

Draco knocked firmly on Hermione’s apartment door. His knock was fast and hurried, as were all his current movements. He had rushed into the building, ran up the stairs, sped walked down the hall. Draco couldn’t afford to pause for fear if he did that he would turn around and head home. Vulnerability was never something he was comfortable with.

After what felt like an hour, the door opened partially. Her body filled the gap it provided. Hermione’s eyes widened when she found it was Draco outside her door.

“Draco? I—what are you—why are you here?” It hurt to hear that she was obviously uncomfortable.

Hermione was in a pair of old alumni college sweats, a shirt from her current university, and had her curls bound up in her traditional bun. She looked comfortable, like she’d been reading all day. Had she missed them? Did she lay around crying like Theo? Her eyes were red rimmed, so maybe she had. Had they made her cry? Draco had never wanted to be the reason she cried once he left high school. No, not when he was an adult now who could recognize his own feelings. 

“Can I come in?” Draco asked. He did his best to keep his voice from wavering. Malfoys were raised to know how to handle every situation, but romance was not something he was gifted with. He was filled with doubt, doubt that she wanted either of them. 

When Hermione hesitated, he persisted. “Please?” Draco asked softly. He took a small step forward and let his guard down. It was hard, a practiced act he had had to work on with Theo. Draco tried his best to keep away the emotionless mask his father taught him to wear and let her see that he was here because he wanted to be. Because he needed to be.

Hermione worried her lip for a moment before nodding her head. She took a step back and opened the door more for him, letting him in. The relief in his chest was almost overwhelming. 

The apartment Draco stepped into fit Hermione perfectly. It was a cute studio with a kitchen and connected bathroom. Her bed was pushed in a corner, covered in a comforter and plush quilts of all colors. On top of those was an ugly, orange cat that was sleeping away happily. Hermione had a large, chipped wood bookshelf that was crammed full with books. If the books didn’t fit in vertically, some were laid horizontally in stacks in front of the back row. Around her entire apartment were stacks of books and papers placed on any surface available. There was a sort of chaotic logic to it all. He could feel her personality in every bit of the studio.

“I like the place,” he told her genuinely and smiled. He earned a small smile back from Hermione before she closed the door behind him. 

“What is it you want, Draco?” Her voice was quiet and firm, but he could hear her trying to keep it together. He made a point not to notice the small pile of snotty tissues on her bed. Had they made her cry that much?

“We need to talk about what happened at dinner.”

Hermione shook her head quickly. “You waited over a week to come talk about that now? No thanks, not interested. You can let yourself out.” She wouldn’t look at him. Hermione looked everywhere but at him and it hurt. 

“Hermione—“

She cut his plea off quickly. “Where have you been?” She demanded. “No one followed me out. No one checked on me. No one did anything!” Her voice cracked and he watched her angrily swipe away a renage tear. 

“We texted you!” His words collided he spoke so quickly. He threw them out as fast as possible, desperate to get a word in edgewise.

“‘Texted’?” Hermione demanded. “Are you two idiots?”

“Yes!” Draco shouted. Desperate, desperate, desperate. He would do anything for her to just listen. “God yes, we are both idiots! We’ve always been idiots! We texted you because we thought you didn’t want to see our faces! Who wants to see the two men who harassed her all of high school and then got her humiliated and shouted at during dinner at their place? Jesus, we assumed you never wanted to see either of us ever again!” 

Draco stared at her, anguish perminating every ounce of his being. He needed her to understand. Looking at her made his chest ache . Her voice caught his attention even when he was in the other room. Even when she was shouting at him, it made him feel right. The thought of spending the rest of his life without her sass, without her wild kinky curls, without her warm laugh made his entire existence hurt. 

“Fuck,” Hermione muttered under her breath and shook her head. “I thought we had moved past all that high school shit, you dumbass.” She wasn’t shouting, but her voice was louder than usual. The rage he was so familiar with from high school was gone from her eyes now and he knew they had a chance. “Draco, what Pansy said, I don’t—how could? Is it true?” Draco had never seen Hermione trip over her own words before and he wasn’t sure he liked it. He couldn’t tell if her embarrassment was because she was uncomfortable or flattered.

“Yes.” Draco said absolutely. “God yes. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids, Hermione. All the hair pulling and name calling, it was all—“

It didn’t matter what it was. His words were cut off by Hermione’s lips. For a moment, Draco froze. It seemed too good to be true; he couldn’t believe that Hermione Granger was kissing him.

Draco kissed her adamantly. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled herself against him. His hands found her waist and kept her just as close. She couldn’t be close enough. After years of her being kept at such a distance, it was unbearable to think of any space between them. Her lips were soft and full, different from Theo’s. Kissing Hermione wasn’t like kissing Theo. While Theo kissed slowly and teasingly, like a love interest out a period drama, Hermione was all passion. She was fire and need and now. They were the opposites he needed. 

He let his hands move up her back, finding her hair. Draco wrapped his fingers in her curls and pulled slightly. A gentle moan left Hermione’s mouth and Draco knew instantly they had to slow down until they had all the details worked out. 

Begrudgingly, Draco stopped kissing Hermione. A disappointed pout instantly appeared on her lips and he chuckled. “There’s a man back at my apartment that’s been crying his eyes out because he thinks you hate our guts.” Draco gently traced her bottom lip with his finger. “How about we go tell him you don’t hate us and then talk?”

Hermione nodded quickly, a worried look taking over her expression. “Let’s head over now. He doesn’t need to wait any longer.”

Draco kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that he could bury his face in her hair now. “Alright, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

High School, Senior Year

Theo sat at his new, frequent study space: Draco’s library table. It had become a routine. Hermione would sit a table away with them, her back to them, and sometimes with company. Draco sat next to Theo and they both pulled out schoolwork that neither ever worked on. They sat side by side and admired the woman with the wild hair, the woman they had known for years now and barely spoken to, the woman that would be moving hours away soon to start a new life at university. They had just weeks left to gaze at her and they were soaking up every moment of it. 

“You do realize we are absolutely pathetic, right?” Theo asked under his breath. Draco acknowledged the statement simply by shaking his head and sighing, which meant he was perfectly aware. They spent their home lives hiding their love life and their school lives hiding their stalker-like tendencies.

“Five weeks left until graduation.” Theo didn’t look away from his empty notebook page. “Draco, are we idiots?”

“Absolutely,” Draco responded without a doubt. “We are gay idiots who keep taking forgranted all the things we already have.” He turned the page of the book he wasn’t reading. “We spend our waking moments pining after a woman who hates us when we have so much.”

“Do you think it’ll be easier once we all leave town?” Theo was the hopeful one of the pair. He hoped they’d leave for university together and slowly the ache in their chests would fade. They’d forget Hermione Granger and everything would be normal.

“Anything would be easier than this,” Draco whispered. “We are leaving here with her remembering me as an asshole, as the child my father always wanted. I’d rather let Weasley hit me over the head with a bat than stay like that in her mind forever.”

It hurt to see the pain in Draco’s face, to hear it in his voice. The situation wasn’t ideal for Theo, but at least Hermione didn’t despise him. He would always have that to cling on to—to have Chemistry class to remember. 

“How about we make a deal?” Theo offered. He set down the pencil he wasn’t really using and nudged his boyfriend. He refused to continue until he had Draco’s full attention. “If either of us ever get the chance to date Hermione Granger, we take it. Even if we are dating, even if it's a spur of the moment chance and we can’t tell each other until after the opportunity has passed. If we see her ten years down the line and she’s willing to give us a chance, we take it.”

“Theo—“

“Don’t argue with me.” Theo put on his best pleading expression, his dark brown eyes begging his boyfriend. “Make the pact with me. That way we know that—at this moment—we are doing everything we can.”

Draco let out a heavy sigh and nodded. Theo held his hand out and the two teenage boys shook hands.

“Are you ever going to stop being such an optimist?” Draco asked. 

“I don’t plan to,” Theo said lightly before returning his attention to gazing adoringly at the back of Hermione Granger’s head. She would be their only exception.

--

Present Day

Hermione stared at the door of apartment 23 and took a deep breath. She looked up at Draco. “Can I talk to him alone first?” Hermione asked gently. “I got to talk to you alone.” She smiled up at him. “Afterwards, we can all sit down and talk together?”

Draco nodded. He looked pleased with her request. “Of course. I’ll let you in and then I’ll go back to our room.” Gently, he placed a hand on her cheek. Hermione couldn’t ignore the way her heart jumped. “Just shoot me a text when you’re ready for me to join you both.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Hermione replied softly. Draco let them both into the apartment. He gave her a slight nod before disappearing down the hall and into his and Theo’s bedroom.

Hermione found Theo exactly where Draco said he would be: lying on the loveseat. He was surrounded by crumpled tissues while the closing scenes of Pride and Prejudice played on the television. When he heard the front door latch shut, Theo looked up sullenly. It was clear he was expecting a defeated Draco. His eyes widened when they landed on Hermione instead of his fiance. Theo sat up quickly.

“Hermione, I--”

“It’s okay,” Hermione said and crossed the room. Theo pushed the pile of tissues off the loveseat and Hermione sat next to him. “Draco did a good job, you should know.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “I’ve got to admit, I didn’t expect that.” A small smile found its way onto Theo’s lips. “He’s not the best at those sorts of talks.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say he was,” she laughed. “He sort of just blew up? He threw it all out there and I kissed him.”

Theo’s eyes widened as he looked at Hermione. “You...kissed him?” he asked quietly.

Hermione couldn’t fight the blush that settled on her cheeks. “Yeah, I did. I figured you were okay with it since you knew he came over to confess his feelings and all that. If it’s a problem, we can--”

“No, no,” Theo interrupted quickly. “That wasn’t me being upset; I’m just in disbelief.” He paused and turned to face her on the loveseat completely, legs crossed on the cushion. “The idea of this happening never seemed possible. Even the idea of being your friend seemed too far fetched. Now my fiancé has confessed his love to you and you kissed him? Then you came back here to talk to me? This doesn’t seem real.” He paused again. “Maybe I fell asleep watching my movie.”

Hermione laughed softly and shook her head. “Everything is going to be fine, Theo.” Her words were gentle. She could see the hope bubble up in his warm brown eyes. Hermione took one of his hands in both of hers and gave it a firm squeeze. “We have so much talking to do, so many boundaries to explore and so many questions to answer, but I think everything is going to be okay, albeit odd.” 

It warmed her whole body to see the all-consuming sadness slowly leave Theo’s body. She felt like she could take her first full, deep breath in days. She’d never seen three people dating, never seen this played out in a rom-com or an epic love story, but they didn’t need examples. Maybe they’d figure it out all on their own. Maybe this was the love story she deserved, not the Ron tragedy she had had before, not the messy dates she had stumbled through. 

Once the sadness had left Theo’s eyes, he offered Hermione one of his handsome smiles. “Is there a chance I can kiss you too, before all this serious talking starts?” he asked politely, mischief and excitement alive in his eyes. 

Hermione felt her skin warm with her blush. “I’d like that very much,” she replied sheepishly. It made her nervous to be kissing two men within the same hour, but she tried to remind herself that they both knew what they were in for. Or rather, they signed her up for this madness. 

Before Hermione could let any anxiety eat away at her, Theo pulled her onto his lap and she let out a startled noise. He smiled down at her, gently tilting her chin up.

“If you ever want out, just let us know, okay?” he told her quietly, searching her eyes for any sign of doubt.

Theo didn’t find any. 

“I promise,” Hermione replied softly. She closed the distance between their mouths and kissed him. She kissed him like she had wanted to when she sat next to him in Chemistry, watching him read Jane Eyre under the lab station instead of taking notes on review days. Hermione kissed him slowly, deeply, taking the time to taste him. Draco kissed her so fast, as if she was going to disappear. With Theo, it felt like they had an eternity to sit there, on that loveseat, and just kiss. His hands stayed on her waist, holding onto her for dear life. 

Between the two of those men, Hermione had found her forever. 

—

High School, Senior Year

“You know Ron won’t shut up about that whole Malfoy and Nott thing,” Ginny stated simply. 

Hermione knew Ginny was masking her role of being a nosy sister as a caring friend, but she barely had the energy to hide her irritation. Graduation was three days away, she was supposed to be done with this high school drama. She was ready to be an adult, to be on her own, to be off at university living a different life. 

“He won’t shut up about a lot of things,” Hermione remarked simply. 

They both laid on their backs in the abandoned grass lot next to the apartment complex the Weasley’s now lived in. They hadn’t had much luck finding a house to rent that they could afford after the Malfoys got them kicked out of their old home; all they could afford was a tiny apartment now. That summer, Hermione and Ginny spent a lot of it laying out in the empty lot that became a meadow of sorts. It was filled with wildflowers and butterflies, the only peace the lone Weasley daughter had. 

“Well,” Ginny started as she peeled apart a blade of grass, “does he have something to be worried about, ‘Mione? You did spend a lot of time with that Nott fellow because of that class you had together.”

Hermione let out a heavy sigh. “No, Gin, there’s nothing to worry about. I got paired with Theo in Chem so we had to spend time together.” She plucked a poor dandelion from the field and slowly spun it between her fingers. 

“That’s it?” Ginny snorted. “What about Malfoy? He watches everything you do, you know that right? It’s a little creepy.”

At that moment, Hermione was especially grateful for the warmth the sun had already brought to her skin; it hid her blush. Oh, she knew about stupid Draco Malfoy and his stupid greased hair and his stupid staring and his stupid, stupid smile. Hermione was brilliant, the smartest student in their year. She knew when someone was watching her so blatantly. Originally, it made her mad and uncomfortable. It made her want to hit him, shout at him, throw things at him.

Then senior year came and he stopped being as rude. There were less pranks and more just snappy remarks that he was failing to string together. Draco barely kept his asshole front up and Hermione saw right through it. She didn’t like him back—obviously! It was just nice to be appreciated, to have a boy like her finally. It made her feel pretty, wanted, noticed. It was more than Ron gave her or any other boy their age. 

No, she didn’t like Draco or that boy Theo either, but she noticed them. Hermione noticed them constantly. 

“Earth to Hermione!” Ginny’s voice interrupted Hermione’s thinking. “What the fuck? Do you, like, have a thing for Malfoy?”

“No!” Hermione replied quickly. She answered fast enough that Ginny gave her skeptical side eye which made her huff. “I don’t, Gin. Can’t you just believe me?”

Ginny sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. I mean, could you imagine having bad enough taste that you thought pale and greased was a good look?” She laughed at her own joke and Hermione plastered on a fake smile. 

“Yeah, right?” Hermione agreed unconvincingly. 

—

Present Day, One Year Later

“Hey!” Draco called out. “Watch it!” He was pinned in a corner holding up the heavier end of an antique desk. It was easily the heaviest piece of furniture from either of their apartments. 

“Oops!” Hermione cringed and tried to fight a smile. Moving wasn’t her or Theo’s specialty, apparently. Theo was holding up the lighter end of the desk and it was her job to navigate them down the hall of the house they had recently rented. 

“‘Oops’?” Draco repeated and rolled his eyes. “Woman, are you going to give me anymore direction, or do you want your beast of a desk to be out in the hall? It’ll make a lovely office out here.”

“Oh hush,” Hermione snickered and waved him off. “Theo back up and let him turn there—no, no, there, yeah.” She smiled to herself as she watched the two men in her life struggle greatly with her desk. 

They had decided it was time they stopped piling into Draco and Theo’s old apartment and pretending like Hermione still lived in her old one. They decided they needed a home with space, room for Hermione’s cat to wander, room to have a quiet reading space, room for their communal book collection, and a very big bed. 

The home they had just rented was a cute two bedroom. The master had the biggest bed they could get to accommodate all three of them; Theo tended to spread out in his sleep and their old bed just wasn’t cutting it. The other room was the family office. It would have all of their books, both desks, and lots of plants. It was everything and more than Draco could’ve ever imagined back in high school. 

“I want my desk against that wall,” Hermione pointed once they all made it into the second bedroom and now office.

“Not in front of the window?” Theo asked, brows furrowed. “We have such a pretty backyard.”

Hermione snorted. “Of course not. You can’t get work done if you’re staring out a window.” She rolled her eyes and lovingly patted his arm. “You’re the daydreamer, baby, not me. Let my desk face the wall and yours can have the window.”

Draco joined in with a soft laugh. “She read you pretty well.” He grinned at his fiancé who smiled back just as happily.

“I’m glad I’m finally understood,” Theo replied dramatically. “Finally someone understands me.”

“Oh shut up,” Hermione laughed at him. She watched her boyfriends set the desk exactly where she wanted it before she perched happily on the edge of it. “Look at this! It’s our office.” Hermione grinned at her boys. 

“It is,” Draco replied with a lazy happiness. He took one of her hands and kissed her palm. “We promised you a personal library, did we not?”

“Us Nott and Malfoy men like to stick to our promises,” Theo stated in a tone of false grandiose. He smiled at her. “Is it everything you wanted?”

Hermione nodded as she took turns looking them both in the eyes. “Everything and so much more,” she told them. With her free hand, she took one of Theo’s hands and squeezed both men’s hands. “I never thought I could feel this happy and loved.”

“It’ll only get better from here,” Theo promised softly. “With each day, we will love you more and more.”

“Every day we are all together, I love you both even more,” Draco agreed. “This is just the start.” He motioned to their mostly-empty office with his free hand. “We have years and years of life to explore, so many more years to love. This is just the start.”

Hermione smiled and blinked back happy tears. She nodded and took a deep breath. “This is just the start,” she repeated.