Chapter 11

Hermione made her tea with shaking hands. Upon her return from Malfoy Manor and the rather life-changing information Lucius had imparted to her, she'd sat in shock on her worn and cosy sofa for nearly an hour.

Her brain had raced like it had a medal in the offing, but it uselessly came to no conclusions. After scalding herself with scorching liquid thanks to her trembling digits, Hermione decided tea was not the answer.

But for once in her life, she didn't know what was.

Looking at the situation objectively, it made a certain amount of sense to just walk away. She was not all that involved with either Malfoy at this point. Though she was glad Draco had a reason for avoiding her, little sense though it made, she was sure she could forget about that blissful, sensual kiss in time. As for Lucius, well, his passionate and commanding kiss could be forgotten as well. In time.

But there were two issues that drew her back in, two major Pros in the left-hand column of life. Power. And Love.

Hermione knew she was a good witch. She'd mastered nearly everything she'd ever attempted, and she understood magic in an inherent way that few Muggle-borns ever did. Magic had always been seductive to her, and when she learned a new charm or mastered a new potion, she felt a thrill that stayed with her. More than a love of learning, Hermione had a passion for magic. So the idea that she could be even better...learn more, achieve more...appealed to her on a level few people realized she possessed.

But the other issue... that just might be the clincher. Hermione didn't trust easily, and there was only one person she trusted absolutely implicitly. Herself. She trusted her magic to make the right decision. She didn't think her magic would hurt her. So her magic must know something she didn't. And if it wanted her to be with those devilish Malfoys, she knew her heart would not be broken irrevocably. If something did happen and the triad didn't work, she could always leave. It wouldn't be easy to give up the power, certainly, but it could be done.

But what if you love Lucius and not Draco? Or vice versa? Hermione was wise enough to know she did not love either man at this point. She barely knew them, their real selves. How horrible would it be to fall for one and not the other? Could she live in that type of relationship? And how would it work with them being... father and son?

How could they be okay with that?

The first answer came to her quickly. Falling for one and not the other just wouldn't be possible. She had love enough in her heart to love them both, and she had to, again, trust her magic to have made the right choice. She would love them both; it was as simple as that. The second answer was more difficult, and Hermione realized she didn't know many gritty details about how the triad would work. Especially when it came to sex. Hermione had a little experience...she certainly knew what could go where with two men and a woman... but would father and son want that? Would she? Hermione coughed mentally and moved onto the next question. Would they... be together as well?

Hermione's face flooded with heat as she pictured two perfectly coiffed blonds closing in for a slow, sensual kiss.... Lucius taking the lead and Draco leaning into him....

Okay, time to think about unsexy things.... Why can I never think of unsexy things when I need them the most? Settling for an image of Hagrid in a bikini riding a bicycle, Hermione was able to get her thoughts back on track.

She would just have to research the... sex thing. Now, the cons list. Well, they were Malfoys. Not one, but two. Insufferable, arrogant, prejudiced, proper, cruel, cold... well, maybe she was reaching a little. They were at least some of those things. Public image. People would think they were disgusting, incestuous. People would think she was a slut, or mad. Harry and Ron would absolutely lose it. She might be hospitalized until her sanity was proven. People might think they were coercing her, magically forcing her. That would be ugly.

Hermione decided the only way to get the answers she really needed was to talk to another triad. She usually preferred getting knowledge from books first and people second, but in this case, a book would only be a second-hand account, whereas a real triad...she could ask them all the questions she needed to and make a properly informed decision.

She always felt better when a decision was made. Hermione jotted off a quick owl note describing her intentions and sent it away to the Manor.

Her owl came back about an hour later, just as she was getting ready for bed.

Hermione,

Lucius Malfoy

Hermione grinned. Always mine. It made her a little giddy to think such a powerful, debonair man like Lucius Malfoy called himself hers. She wondered if Draco felt the same. They could both be mine.... I only have to say the word. She would see Draco at the office the next day, and he would have to talk to her. If they planned on discussing a lifelong commitment to one another, they would at least have to converse.

She was looking forward to it. She'd missed him more than she cared to admit, and she was eager to hear his thoughts. But she reminded herself that she would not make a decision until she'd met the other triad.

The next day, Hermione was late for work. The second she'd Apparated, she knew something had gone wrong. And she was very, very concerned to realize she had ended up at the end of the Apparition wards at Malfoy Manor. Luckily, it seemed no one was home to notice her random arrival, which they might have if she'd accidentally touched the wards or set off other alarms. It was her good fortune that Lucius and Draco both made a point to arrive early at work and weren't around to witness her rather abrupt and unexpected landing.

It could have been worse, of course. She could have ended up half at Malfoy Manor and half at work.

She managed to Apparate only a block from the Ministry. She really shouldn't have tried a second time...who knows what could have happened...but she was already running behind, and she was anxious to see Draco.

She hurried into her office, pleased that no one seemed to take note of her late entry. She shut the door and sighed. Turning to face her desk, Hermione shrieked and jumped a foot in the air like a cat.

"Late? That's so unlike you." Draco's smile was feral as he rose gracefully from her chair, slipping around the desk and approaching her shocked form.

"Dear Merlin, Draco! Can't you wait outside of my office like a normal person?" Her heart was slowly returning to a normal pace, but her face felt devoid of blood and her fingertips tingled.

"But you don't like normal men, do you, Hermione?" he purred, coming into her personal space and taking her hand. "I think that's evident enough, wouldn't you say?" His fingers trailed up her arm.

She shivered at the contact, feeling sparks at the touch. She couldn't help but lean into him.

"I suppose not. But still, you shouldn't lurk around..."

He laughed a low, throaty laugh that was altogether too close to her ear. Hermione's eyes fluttered closed.

"I was hardly lurking. I was waiting. I've missed you," he admitted, mouth resting against the shell of her ear, licking slightly before he pulled back to watch her face for a reaction.

"I've missed you, too, Draco. I was so confused by your sudden change of attitude."

He shook his head sadly. "I know. I couldn't even explain it to myself; it was just a feeling. Apparently it was for the best, though. Or so my father says," he finished with a wicked smile.

"What do you think about this triad thing, Draco? Honestly?" She needed to know the truth about how he felt. Lucius had pulled no punches, telling her exactly what he thought and what he wanted her to choose. But Draco's opinion was just as important.

"At first, I was afraid..."

"You were petrified?" Hermione snickered.

Draco looked at her blankly. "Well, I suppose."

Hermione rolled her eyes. If she did agree to the triad, she would spend a day every week teaching these arrogant Malfoys all about Muggle music and culture.

Draco continued, but not before giving her a strange look as if she would interrupt again, "But now it just feels right. Honestly, it feels like we're already together, you know? I want you, Hermione Granger. I want to be with you, and if I have to share you with anyone, I'm glad it's my father, as weird as that may seem. He's more like a friend than a father anyway; or, at least, it makes it easier to think about when I put it that way. I just want to be with you."

Hermione considered this. "And of course the increased power and magic are nothing to scoff at, right?" She searched his face. The power appealed to her and certainly to Lucius, but she didn't want it to be the only reason Draco agreed to this. That idea hurt her deeply.

"Well, the power is like the icing on a delicious..." he kissed her neck softly, "...Hermione-shaped..." he nibbled her collarbone, "...cake," he finished, biting her neck and soothing it with a kiss. "And I am very hungry," he growled, capturing her lips in a kiss that took Hermione by surprise. It was hard and fast, passionate and ferocious. Hermione tried to keep up with his near-frantic movements, her body heating up instantly as his hands circled her waist and held her firmly against him.

Her hands buried themselves in his hair, marvelling at the light silkiness as his strands slipped effortlessly through her fingers. Her heart was settled; she knew what Draco wanted, and it wasn't power or increased magic or anything superficial. He wanted her and she wanted him. It was suddenly so easy. But she knew she had to meet the other triad in order to make the best decision. But even if the meeting didn't go so well, she had an unshakable feeling that the three of them could make it work somehow. She cared too much to not try.

Especially since Draco was continuing to snog her senseless in her office like this. Just as that thought filtered through her brain, Draco pulled back, breath mingling with hers, eyes stormy and dark with desire.

"Now that... that was a good kiss," he asserted, fingers tightening on her waist.

Hermione could only nod in agreement.