Close with Snakes

Twelve

Draco slept well enough and didn't have anything that sounded like a nightmare. Instead he muttered small syllables in his sleep. After a few hours of sitting at his bedside, Theo walked in.

"He placed me and his mother as additional points of contact. I didn't know you were here. I - I would have stayed home if I knew you were already tending to him."

"I had gotten called in for work due to the influx of patients. I stayed because he asked me and apparently was his emergency contact. But you knew that, didn't you?"

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. Theo didn't seem entirely surprised by her presence. Just how much talking did they do about her behind her back? The question in her mind was short lived when Narcissa gracefully entered the room.

"Oh, Hermione. Are you Draco's healer?"

Theo laughed at the question. "Cissy, Draco placed the Golden Girl as his emergency contact along with us. The healers in the hallway were talking about them. Sounds like they're dating, mummy dearest." Theo glanced at Hermione and then down at the floor.

"I see. I hadn't anticipated this happening so soon, but I can't say that I'm all surprised."

"Sorry?" Hermione has never had more confusion in her whole life.

Narcissa floated over to the chair on the other side of Draco. "Well it was quite obvious that he has fancied you for some time. All his letters from Hogwarts talking about "that Granger girl." Even while in Azkaban, he would ask trivial questions about you. He showed great concern that you would risk your reputation to testify for him."

Hermione fidgeted with her hands in her lap while looking at Narcissa and then glancing at Theo, only to find him avoiding eye contact with him. She really needed to talk to them both about how this was going to work, or if this was going to work. When she looked back at Narcissa, she saw a mother looking at her son with the utmost concern.

"I'll give you some time with Draco. He's been asleep for a few hours and will probably be out for another hour or so. If he wakes while I'm gone and is in distress, I have placed a calming drought on that table there." Narcissa nodded and turned back to her sleeping son. "Theo, can I see you in my office?"

Theo nodded and followed her out to the hall. She was walking fast, and Theo didn't seem keen on walking too close to her. She opted for the staircase since she was going down only one floor. She walked into her office, waited a few seconds for Theo to come in before closing the door with a locking charm and casted a Muffliato spell.

"Theo." Hermione wasn't sure where to begin but she wasn't able to start a phrase.

"Hermione, I've given this all a lot of thought. I'm sorry for how I was on Friday. I shouldn't have used that tone of voice on you, but I'm hurt. I thought about if I could just have you in secret while you showed off a public relationship with Draco. I thought maybe we could keep this vinculum tribus behind closed doors. And I can't do that. I can share you. I'm fine with that. But if I'm going to have you, I want it all."

"All?"

"I want to go to sleep with you. I want to pleasure you to tears in my bed and then shower you with love and gifts. I want to take you out to fancy restaurants. I want to get bloody drunk with you at the pubs and show you off. I want to go to all the fucking galas with you and lead you around with Draco and be proud to call you ours. So until I can get it all, I'll settle for your friendship. And that's it. I won't take anything away from you and Draco."

Hermione stared at him before speaking at all. "I don't even know how something like this would be accepted by society."

"It's a wizarding world, Hermione. You don't think that there aren't explanations for this. You can't stand there and tell me that you don't feel it. The draw? You feel it for me and Draco, just like I feel it for you and him. When you're ready to navigate it, you know where to find me. I'll see you next week."