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The high-rise flat that Theo had purchased specifically for the start of his new single adult life, was a veritable wreck of half-unpacked boxes, baby things- including a mostly assembled cot propped against the wall for support.
Among the number of regrets, sending his house elf back to the Nott Castle on a permanent basis was one of the most prevalent. Technically, he could summon her back but couldn’t stand the thought of admitting that he needed help now.
Then there was marrying Astoria Greengrass. They had been toxic since the start and only got worse. His proposal of marriage might have been fueled by the image of the one witch he did want, wrapped in the arms of his ex-boyfriend he never quite let go of, on the front of the Prophet.
They divorced, and Theo went on a long holiday around the continent to get some space. On his return trip to Diagon Alley, he saw Astoria, very visibly pregnant and trying to waddle her way to the Leaky to get away from him.
One public confrontation later, he learned she never intended to tell him she was pregnant, even though she was sure he was the father. Reluctantly, and probably mostly to stop him from pursuing her all the way back to Greengrass estates, she agreed to set up a co-parenting schedule through solicitors once the baby was born.
A month later, there was an owl from St. Mungos saying she was in labour. He’d apparated to the hospital instantly, grabbing a recently purchased book on parenting and leaving the cot only half assembled.
Then, things got even more complicated,
Astoria had died shortly after childbirth, and the accusations were instant from the Greengrass. That Theo had cursed her because he was jealous…because they were divorced,( which had been seen as a slight on her family)….because the baby was a squib.
As if he gave a fuck if the kid was a squib.
Once again, Hermione Granger saved the day.
As the lead mortician for St. Mungos, she delivered the test results, determining that there was no dark magic involved in Astoria’s death. Theo’s magical signature was only detectable in the baby, who was, in fact, a witch .
There was no reason to suspect him of anything, and he and the baby were free to go.
It was awful to leave Astoria’s family like that, struck so suddenly with grief. But they wanted little and less to do with him, and he was not about to give up his daughter to them now. Maybe with time and apologies, they could see her, but at that moment, there was nothing else to do.
The Aurors put the bundle of blankets in his arms, and a little face squinted up at him. Even then, he could see her eyes would be the same familiar blue colour as his own and that of his mother's.
“I need a name for the file before you can go,” Granger said softly, quill poised and ready to fill out the chart in her hands. Her golden brown eyes looked up at him expectantly.
“Cassandra?” He muttered, totally unsure if he was even qualified for such a task. “Like my mum, if that's- “
“It's perfect.” Granger reaffirmed, finishing her work with a smile. “I think you're going to do just fine, Theo.”
Since then, he’d sequestered them away in his new flat. The nights were long and sleepless, but he was determined to figure it out on his own.
One month later
The corridor was brightly painted, with moving murals of animals and sea life. Sounds of distantly crying children and babies could be heard from other rooms, which made Theo clutch his daughter a little tighter as he milled around the toy-strewn waiting room.
Draco appeared out of an office door and beckoned them in while Theo tried not to let his jaw hit the floor. He’d swapped the lime green robes for some in a soft sage, well-tailored around a now filled-out frame. Glasses rested on the end of his nose and there was just something ….
Something different…
He was happy and well-loved.
Theo felt a mix of happiness for his friend, who deserved it and bitter jealousy that it wasn’t with him.
Neither one said anything until the door had closed behind them. Draco performed a charm over his hands and held them out expectantly.
Theo just stared.
“I’ll need to see her to perform the examination, Mr Nott.” Draco’s tone was overly formal and he didn’t meet Theo’s eye.
“What the fuck did you just call me?” he snapped, only turning the baby further away from the Healer.
“Come on, Theo, let’s keep this professional. I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but- “
“But you’re just going to pretend that you don’t even know me now.” Theo rebutted loud enough to make Cassandra startle and start to fuss.
Draco lifted his eyes and sighed heavily. “I thought you and Astoria would eventually work things out, if I weren’t around to—” he searched for the words for a moment, “ —complicate things.”
Theo just frowned at him, unable to formulate his feelings into words due to an acute lack of sleep. All he could do was blink heavily and try not to blurt out something absurd. Finally, he handed over the baby. “When did you get so emotionally intelligent?”
Draco gave him a weak smile as he put the baby on the exam table and began to work. “That would be a consequence of a relationship with Hermione Granger.”
“That's going well then?” Theo asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“Very well,” Draco answered absent-mindedly, not taking his eyes from the baby or the complicated diagnostic spellwork he was performing. Something made him pause and he redid them.
At that moment, Hermione Granger bustled in, a stack of files under one arm and a bowl of soup poised near her face as if she had been walking and eating at the same time.
The bowl vanished with a pop! as soon as she saw Theo.
“Oh! I’m so sorry I didn’t realize -” The witch shifted the folders under her arm again, colour rising in her cheeks. She seemed unable to look away from Theo until Draco cleared his throat. “Right, um -”
Draco tugged on her arm from the low stool and pulled her in for a quick kiss, his hand darting up to caress her lower abdomen. Granger scolded him half-heartedly and made another attempt to compose herself.
Theo, too, was trying not to stare; he was just more practised at it than Granger. Even in baggy work robes, he could still make out her generous curves, especially a pen clipped right on the valley of her cleavage. With her hair pulled high on her head, he could admire the freckles that seemed to dot all of her tawny skin, and her smile was brighter than ever.
“You don’t have to go.” Theo shrugged, hoping she would stay but playing it off as not to be obvious about it.
She grinned again, and he felt himself quite enchanted to be on the receiving end of it.
“I normally eat lunch in here while Draco catches up on paperwork. Both of us being Healers, you know…we get the time where we can.” Hermione explained, dropping her stack of things on the desk beside the door. She moved to lean over her husband and made a sound of delight. “Oh my gods, she’s adorable!”
“Gets it from me.” Theo joked, earning a snort from Draco as he examined the baby’s eyes. Cassandra gave an indignant squawk at the light from the wand but was immediately soothed by both Healers.
“I bet.” Granger teased before turning serious and focusing all her attention on him. “I’m so sorry about Astoria.”
“We weren’t -”
“I know.” Granger cut across him. “But she was still supposed to be around to help you with all this. It can’t be easy to go at it alone.” She looked genuinely sympathetic. “You two should come ‘round to ours sometime. We could try to give you a break.”
“You just said that you’re both incredibly busy.” Theo pointed out with a smirk.
Granger’s cheeks coloured again, and she cleared her throat. Her hand moved automatically to her stomach. “We are currently but, um… I’m pregnant, so we’re both going to be stepping back a little in the upcoming months.”
Draco looked up from his work with an unmistakable air of pride on his face. Theo felt the bottom drop from his stomach a little bit as he said, “Congratulations.”
Hermione mumbled a quiet thank you and a stiff silence filled the room until Draco stood to hand the baby back to Theo.
“Everything okay?” he asked, more to break the tension than anything.
Draco’s hand combed through his hair as he looked over the numbers he’d filled in on the chart. “She’s a little underweight, not enough to where I would be overly concerned, but— “ he hesitated, glanced at Granger, then back at Theo. “If the Greengrasses inquired after her, it could be all they would need for an investigation. You know how they are about those of us with a family history. ” They shared a significant look, and Theo understood the implications - being a Nott, as being a Malfoy, was enough to be a suspect all on its own.
“Well, what can I do to fix it?” Theo tried to keep the note of panic out of his voice.
“If you came to stay with us—” He glanced at Granger yet again, who nodded encouragingly, “Then you could say she was under the direct supervision of a Healer, getting daily updates. If they still wanted a fight after that, they’d have a much harder time.”
Theo shook his head and kept his eyes on his now fussy daughter. “What if we just came in for a visit every day?”
A warm hand touched his, so soft and gently he had to look away. Granger’s dark eyes were bright with unshed tears. “You’re doing a good job, Theo, all on your own. But you don’t have to. Let us help you, at least for a little while.”
Theo internally debated about taking Draco and Hermione up on their offer, all the way to the moment when he stepped through the Floo in their home.
It was just dinner. And he couldn’t remain shut in forever.
But neither one of them had left his mind for a moment since the appointment.
It was just dinner. It was just an offer of friendship. They would have a kid Cassie’s age, and they could grow up to be friends just like he and Draco did. And maybe, if she fell in love too, he could help her avoid the same mistakes.
If he couldn’t take it any more, he could just leave. Just dinner. Just friendship.
He’d only been in the main living area for a few seconds when a house elf appeared and tugged the nappy bag off his arm, chirping away at top speed. He raised his eyebrows at Hermione.
“She’s freed!” Hermione said immediately, rushing up to him and scooping the baby up without a question. “She’s freed and well paid and agreed to help for the evening -”
Theo had to laugh, though the sudden noise was slightly overwhelming. “Relax, I believe you. I remembered you ranting about it in 5th year several times.”
“You remember…” she flushed again. “I suppose I was a little outspoken them.”
“A little.” He chuckled, stepping back to take in the sight of her. She wore a scarlet sundress that hugged her curves and hit just the top of her knees, with her curls loose and hanging near her waist. When she turned profile, he could see the slightest hint of her bump signalling the pregnancy. That, coupled with the fact she was holding his baby as if it were the most natural thing in the world, stirred something in him.
“Come on, Draco’s in the kitchen,” she said brightly, leading the way.
The sight of Draco in the kitchen almost knocked the breath from him in the same way Hermione had. The Malfoy heir had his sleeves rolled up well past his elbows, exposing fully tattooed forearms, and he moved as effortlessly as he did while healing. His hair was swept back from his face in a careless way that elicited too many memories from their school days when they had gone sneaking around at night, looking for any shred of private time.
Theo missed his questions twice while he set some knives to chopping with wandless magic. Granger bumped him with her hip and gave him a knowing smirk and a wink.
“Sorry,” he whispered so only she could hear.
“Don’t be. I get it.” She pulled a curl behind her ear and guided him by the hand from the kitchen. “You should see the tattoos on his chest and back.”
He made a wholly undignified sound and was glad Cassie was not old enough to know her father was unravelling this easily.
At the start of the evening, Theo strongly suspected he was being flirted with. By the time dessert and drinks rolled around, he knew he was being flirted with and had no idea how to proceed.
Their house elf had enthusiastically taken over the care of the baby, tending to her every need before she hardly made a sound, leaving him without the excuse he’d hidden behind for the past couple of months, leaving him to reconcile with the facts; he was single, in love with Hermione Granger, and still in love with Draco Malfoy.
If they felt anything deeper than attraction remained a mystery.
And flirting was probably a really, really bad idea.
But Theo was the king of bad ideas.
He watched closely as the shoulder strap of Hermione’s dress slipped down her arm, and Draco replaced it with a singular hooked finger. She looked up at her husband through her lashes while drinking her sparkling cider. He could feel the heat radiating from between them from where he sat.
Then Draco’s silver gaze fixated on him in a way Theo hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Isn’t she lovely?” it was practically purr, as if he delighted in offering up his wife to another man. Hermione’s breath hitched in response, and she turned her gaze to Theo.
Theo licked his lips before answering. “She is, but I guess becoming a father has matured me to the point where I’m not pursuing married women. Or men.” He let the sentence hang for a minute before adding, “Without their permission.”
There. All his cards were out on the table. If they didn’t like it, he’d take Cassie and go home.
( And probably leave the country to avoid running into them again.)
Hermione shifted, rubbing her thighs together under her dress, but let Draco speak in response. He brushed the curls away from her back, letting his fingers trace down Hermione’s spine.
“My pretty little wife has had her eye on you for a while now, Theo. Ever since I told her all the details of our time together.” With that, he looked back at Theo, lips parted with the effort of keeping a steady demeanour. “Pregnancy has made her so needy, and I could never deny her anything, especially with how sweetly she begs or what a good girl she’s been.” His hand moved from her lower back to her front to brush against her belly. “Consider permission granted on both our parts.”
Theo could feel the heat rising over his own skin as excitement and disbelief washed over him. With a glance at Hermione, she gave a quick but enthusiastic nod of consent, practically squirming in seat.
“Lead the way then,” Theo said, shifting his trousers as he stood, but Draco caught the motion and winked at him.
Hermione almost knocked over her chair and stood to grab Theo’s hand and drag him towards the bedroom.
It felt like only seconds later, Theo found himself in the dimly lit bedroom, in the centre of an enormous plush bed, topped with more pillows than two people could ever possibly need. He’d been ordered to sit there by a very excited Granger who then dashed into the bathroom for a second.
And Draco hadn’t appeared yet either, having let his wife charge ahead without him.
But when Hermione emerged in nothing but a green slip of a nightgown, Theo felt his reservations slip by the wayside. It barely brushed the tops of her hips, and her nipples were pebbled against the soft fabric already. She looked slightly unsure of herself at first.
“I liked what you had on before, but this is very nice.” He hummed, and her body language changed instantly. “Oh, kitten, are you a submissive?” Her breath hitched at the nickname, but she nodded anyway. “Use your words.”
“Yes,” she said, climbing onto the bed and crawling towards him. “I hope…I hope that’s okay. I like,” she swallowed hard, “a lot of reassurance and direction.”
“Perfect,” he cooed and he meant it too, keeping his excitement schooled on his features.
“Can I kiss you?” Hermione asked earnestly.
“Of course.” He’d been secretly hoping that was not off limits for the night as he was desperately curious. Their lips met, and kissing Hermione Granger turned out to be even better than he’d imagined. She was soft and warm, almost pliant under his touch, and when they parted, she made the most delectable little whimper.
Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, Theo realised he might be getting into very dangerous waters, but at the same time, he couldn’t let this one night pass him by.
Hermione looked at him expectantly.
“Undress me then, kitten,” he ordered playfully, sitting back with his hands behind his head. The witch went to work enthusiastically, planting a kiss every time she pulled apart a button of his shirt, working her way down his chest to the button of his trousers.
Hermione looked up again, and he answered the question before she could ask it. “Yeah, you can just vanish them.”
She smiled as the cool air of the room hit him, and then Hermione took a sharp breath. He remembered being about the same size as Draco, which must have been a pleasant surprise for her. Another whimper of longing told him he was correct.
Without prompting, her hand and mouth were on him, forcing him to shut his eyes at the sudden onslaught of sensations. Theo swore and tried not to buck his hips to force more of his cock down her throat.
“Very good,” came a voice from the doorway. Wrenching open his eyes, Theo saw that Draco had changed into just a pair of soft grey sweatpants, his scarred and tattooed chest bared. In his hands was a strange white box that Draco put on top of the dresser before moving closer to examine the scene.
Hermione didn’t stop even as she made eye contact with her husband, but there was definitely a new tension in the air between them. Draco took Theo’s fist, which was curled against the sheet, and placed it in Hermione’s curls as if holding a ponytail. He then bent to kiss her on the cheek and whispered, “Don’t let him cum yet, love.”
Both Theo and Hermione shivered as the witch redoubled her efforts, bobbing and gagging on Theo’s cock. His vision narrowed as he tried to marshall his self-control with a groan. His eyes slammed shut again with the restraint.
She pulled off with an obscene pop, which made him open his eyes as the mattress shifted under Draco’s weight. He had left the sweatpants behind and was settling himself between Theo’s thighs.
The blond surged up, his body covering Theo’s, to demand a kiss. Kissing Draco was everything he remembered it to be. It was like being reunited with something he’d thought was gone forever, and his body met Draco’s enthusiastically as if they had never left the Hogwarts dorms.
“Fuck, I missed you,” Draco confessed, pulling away and pressing his forehead to Theo’s, who returned the sentiment with a nod, longing having stolen the words from his lips.
There was no going back to being only friends again after this.
Draco sat back and looked at his wife, who was watching them with rapt attention. “Theo, I think Hermione’s cunt needs some attention, don’t you? You could take care of that for me?”
Theo’s cock twitched in response as he motioned for Hermione to straddle his face. She bit her bottom lip for a minute before complying.
She hadn’t been wearing knickers under the green nightie. Her thighs were coated in her arousal and shaking slightly already. Just the sweet smell of her had his mouth-watering.
Then he felt Draco’s fingers performing a familiar lubrication charm with one hand, the other applying the perfect pressure to the base of his cock. His breath hitched at the touch.
“Focus, Theo,” he scolded with a chuckle as Theo swore and licked a long stripe along Hermione’s centre.
As if he wasn’t doomed before, this had confirmed it. He knew he would crave this every time he saw her, follow her around like an addict trying to get another taste. Combined with the sounds she made with his every movement, he was harder and more desperate for relief than he ever had been in his life.
Draco’s fingers breached the tight ring of muscle he had been teasing, making Theo groan against Hermione. She tried to pull away, but Theo’s hands gripped her hips to hold her in place. Draco eased his cock in gently but not too much. Theo felt his world narrow to just the feeling of Hermione on his tongue and Draco filling him, not even sure what words were tripping past his lips.
Hermione came with a shudder, coating his face with her release. Panting, she tried again to climb down, but Theo only let her turn to face her husband.
She gasped and instinctively ground her hips against his face. Draco moaned and started to stroke Theo’s cock in perfect, measured movements.
Theo was able to wring one more orgasm from the witch before his vision whited out, and he came. Draco managed a few more half-formed praises before following them both over the edge.
The three of them cleaned each other up with little more than one-word reassurances. Theo found his vanished clothes folded neatly on the floor and started to put them on when Draco held out another pair of grey joggers to him.
“If you want to stay,” he offered, looking away.
“I’m going to be up in a few hours with Cassie, remember?” He winced as he said it, not regretting the night's activities but knowing they would come with a heavy cost to his limited sleep.
Draco pointed to the white box he’d brought in earlier. “This is a muggle baby monitor. It’s off at the moment but you can turn it on and be able to hear her in here if you want to tend to her yourself. Or our elf is still available, as she’s highly proud of how well the baby has been sleeping tonight.”
Theo blinked in disbelief. “Of course, she’s sleeping for the bloody elf.”
Draco chuckled. “First of all, if you don’t think Granger put together a state-of-the-art nursery from the moment we started trying, you're wrong. Second, and most importantly, she’s happy because you're happy. Because we all are. Babies can pick up on that kind of thing.” He shrugged. “Or you can go home.”
Theo looked at the bed, which now featured Granger in the middle of it, plaiting her hair with a wandless spell and patting the empty spot next to her. Then, he picked up the baby monitor and pressed a button at the top that made a green light come on. The familiar sound of Cassie’s soft, snuffling breathing came through it clearly. He continued to hedge, putting on the joggers but refusing to lay down.
The monitor floated from his grasp and zoomed to the other side of the bed, where Draco caught it. Hermione gave him an approving nod and kiss on the cheek.
“Get some rest; we’ve got it from here,” Hermione said with a smile.