Chapter 12

Hermione was not the type to labour over what to wear. Her clothes were well-fitting and efficient, not expensive but not cheap. The materials were usually middle-of-the-road, and the styles were only a season or two behind the mode.

So why she was standing in front of her closet mirror holding dress after dress in front of her towelled body was beyond her.

The meeting with the triad was today. Lucius hadn't given her many details, other than telling her they were rather young but very nice. He'd said she didn't know them, which made Hermione slightly disappointed. It would have been interesting if she had. She wanted to make a good impression for the triad, and she also wanted to look nice for her men. It would be the first time she was around both of them at the same time, and she was nervous about how to act around them. Would they both want to hold her hand? Kiss her? There were so many variables....

Hermione sighed. There was no point in dwelling. For whatever reason, they both appreciated her slight frame, her admittedly small breasts, and her wild hair. She could dress in the fanciest haut couture but it wouldn't hide that she was Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire.

She finally settled on a dark green sundress that was fitted around her bust and flared at her slim hips. It had thin straps and fell to her knees, and the colour should appeal to the Malfoys if nothing else. Hermione smoothed her hands over the material, shivering when she pictured Lucius doing it instead... or maybe Draco... or maybe both.

Hermione gulped.

Lucius had opened his Floo to her, and she threw the powder in, announcing her destination with only a slight waver in her voice.

Draco and Lucius were both in the Malfoy parlour to receive her. Draco quickly corrected her stumble and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"Good morning, Granger." He winked wickedly, and she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Good morning, Draco," she returned.

Lucius stepped forward, placing his arm gently on the edge of her shoulder. He kissed her other cheek and murmured, "Hello, pet."

She shivered. Both men were touching her, and she simultaneously felt perfectly at ease and completely unravelled. "Good morning, Lucius. When do your guests arrive?"

"Any minute now," he answered her. "Tea?"

"Please," she nodded. Draco wouldn't stop leering at her, and Hermione tried not to giggle. It would be very un-Hermioneish to do so. Draco released her arm, and she went to sit beside Lucius on the sofa. Clearly he was the safer choice, and Draco could just sit on the armchair.

Lucius immediately took her into his arms and slanted his mouth against hers. He tasted sweet, like tea and winter, and Hermione was beginning to suspect there was no safer choice with these two. A fog filled her mind, leaving only the sensation of his tongue soothing hers. A whimper tried to escape her throat, but Lucius devoured it along with everything else she offered.

When she felt Draco settle on the sofa behind her, the fog cleared and she froze in her kiss with Lucius. Draco gently ran his hands down her bare arms, and her heart picked up speed. He placed a gentle kiss on the side of her throat from behind at the same moment Lucius nipped her lip, remonstrating her for her sudden lack of participation. With both their lips on her, the fog came back thicker than ever. Lucius' mouth moved to the unoccupied side of her throat, and Draco turned her head to meet her lips in a difficult but satisfying clash of lips and tongues.

Lucius was the first to pull away, and then he had to pull Hermione from Draco.

"I see I'm to have the role of referee, hmm?" His voice was a caress against her flesh.

Draco quipped, "Well, if you're offering to take up the role, I won't fight you for it."

Lucius snorted. "Of course not, Draco. Merlin forbid that you take responsibility."

Hermione had a vivid flash of what their future might look like and chuckled. Both men looked questionably at her, but she kept her humour to herself.

A house-elf suddenly popped up, wearing the sweetest little pink suit. "Master Lucius, Young Master Draco. The guests have arrived. Shall I show them in?"

Lucius nodded his assent. Hermione was gaping. "You've educated your house-elves?" She knew the Malfoys paid them, but this... was unheard of.

"Of course. Their poor English was a constant trial on my patience." Lucius' voice was haughty, but she heard a pleased undercurrent. She suspected his pride wouldn't let him admit that he'd done a good deed. Hermione vowed to remedy that. They were continually surprising her.

The three of them stood and awaited the entrance of the triad. Hermione was more excited than nervous, especially since she had a list of questions filed away in her purse.

Three people entered, and Lucius greeted them immediately. He introduced Hermione first. The woman, with whom Lucius seemed familiar, was tall and slender with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She was quite pretty and dressed in a smart business suit. Her name was Celeste. Lucius introduced Michael next, a sharp-dressed young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was handsome, an athletic type. He shook her hand firmly and smiled broadly. Lastly, Lucius introduced Thello.

Thinking she'd heard him incorrectly, Hermione clarified, "Othello?"

"Oh, no," Celeste laughed. "Nothing as tragic as that! His name is Thello. I doubt he's ever even heard of Shakespeare." She looked to Lucius, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "A Muggle-born darling? Or perhaps a Pureblood with an impressive breadth of knowledge?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Hermione is a Muggle-born," he announced in a tone that said no one had better take issue with that. No one did.

"Please, sit," Lucius directed everyone. Draco had been introduced as well and looked a little overwhelmed, but hid it well. Hermione sat again between the two men on the sofa, across from the triad on another sofa.

Lucius asked Celeste all about her family, and Hermione took the respite to watch. Thello was a dark-haired man with near-black eyes. His skin was pale, his attire black. He looked like a young Severus Snape, but his features were softer, his lips fuller and his eyes a little less intimidating. He was handsome in a very different way than Michael. He met her inquisitive gaze, and she smiled, but he did not return it.

Celeste sat in the middle with her hand on Michael's knee. His hand was atop hers. Celeste's body was turned slightly toward Michael, away from Thello, and the latter was as far over on the sofa as possible without sitting on the arm. Thello was looking anywhere but at Hermione, Draco and Lucius, and she had to wonder what the behaviour meant. He looked like he would rather be anywhere than here with them.

Celeste was looking at her expectantly, and Hermione smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Lucius said you had questions?" Her voice was inviting, but somehow a little cold.

"Yes, do you mind?" Celeste and Michael shook their heads, and Hermione reached for the list in her purse. Thello snorted upon seeing it, but Celeste laughed.

"Our Hermione likes to be prepared," Draco purred. His voice sent shockwaves down her spine, and she shook her head to dispel the feeling.

"How long have you been together?"

Celeste, apparently the spokesperson of the group, answered. "About seven years now. I was twenty-one when I married Michael, and then three years later, we met Thello."

Hermione frowned. "Did you live three years without your magic?"

Celeste shook her head. "The disruption was never that bad. Every now and then it would be faulty, but never dangerous. Just things like a dim lumos, or an Accio that didn't quite hit its mark. All major spells and charms worked just fine."

Hermione turned to Thello. "Was it the same for you?"

He paused before answering. "No, my magic went horribly awry. I would have been resigned to life as a Muggle without Michael... and Celeste."

"And how is your magic now?"

"Better than ever." All three were in agreement of this fact. Thello demonstrated by flicking his finger and bringing her question sheet over the table to him.

She gasped. "Wandless magic?"

Michael shook his head. "Only Thello can do that. We still need wands. Our magic increased as well, but Thello was a more powerful wizard to begin with."

Lucius and Hermione exchanged a look. They were all quite powerful in their own rights. The possibility of wandless magic was definitely tipping the pro column. Thello smirked as he looked at her questions before floating the sheet back into Hermione's lap.

"I have a couple more questions. How were you able to deal with society's stigma about triad relationships?" This question was important to her, but it also led into the more personal questions.

Michael answered this. "Well, we're not exactly out as a triad. Celeste and I are married, and as far as anyone knows, Thello is a friend. We've found it best to deal with it like that. That isn't to say you should do the same. Just that it's different for every group."

Hermione was surprised. She doubted very much that Lucius or Draco would abide by being left out like that. Glancing at Thello, she decided there was more to the story, and she intended to find out what.

She met Lucius' eyes, and he seemed to know exactly what she was trying to convey.

"Celeste, Michael, I would very much like to show you the garden. It's come in wonderfully since you've last visited. Thello, I remember you saying you had no interest in such things, so I hope you won't mind keeping Hermione company. Draco, come along." Draco looked to Hermione for confirmation, and she nodded. He kissed her on the cheek and followed his father and the other two out of the room.

Hermione stood and approached Thello. She gestured to the space beside him on the sofa. "Do you mind if I sit?"

He shrugged. "It's your house, isn't it?"

She sat and laughed. "No! I don't live here."

He looked at her curiously. "But you will."

She shrugged. "Maybe one day, in the future. I have my own flat. It's terribly small and inconvenient, but it's mine." She smiled at him, but he looked away.

"Yeah, I had my own place as well. At least in a place like this you'd have your privacy."

"Thello, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Isn't that why we're here?" he countered.

"But you don't have to answer, of course." He nodded, and she continued, "Why does it seem like you'd rather be anywhere other than with Celeste and Michael?"

He smiled bitterly. "Lucius told us about how you were dating Draco first, but the magic encouraged Draco to give you space for Lucius to come into the picture. Imagine dating Draco for three years and then discovering you were meant to be with Lucius as well. Imagine marrying Draco first."

She nodded slowly in understanding. She couldn't fathom having to deal with that. "Do you feel left out? You love them, don't you? Otherwise, it's not worth it, not even for the wandless magic."

"Miss Granger, most triads are like ours, like yours. Not all members are intimate with all members. Draco and Lucius will mostly likely never be intimate together, correct?" Hermione couldn't answer that, so she shrugged a shoulder. He went on, saying, "I've never been with Celeste."

Her eyes widened in dawning comprehension. "So you and Michael...?"

He nodded. "Their relationship was unstable until I entered it. I was drawn to Michael from the beginning, and I love him more than anything. I would put up with anything in order to be with him. Even her. When we became a triad, their love cemented. I was like an anchor, strengthening their bond."

"But what about you?" Hermione's heart was breaking for this man who was more like Snape than she'd initially guessed.

"I have a higher purpose. Our relationship is important. Any children from a triad will be among the strongest wizards and witches alive. And Michael is happy with Celeste, and his happiness is all I wanted from the start."

"Do you and Michael...?"

He shook his head. "Not like we used to. He used to divide his time fairly equally between Celeste and me, but in the last couple years he's only... visited me a few times." Thello's voice was strained, and Hermione's eyes glittered beyond her control. She put her hand on his knee and shook her head.

"I know I don't know you well, Thello, but you deserve better. There has to be another way."

"If I left them, their relationship would become unbalanced again, and he would be unhappy. It would devastate him, and that would destroy me."

"But if you stay," she whispered, "It will destroy you just the same!"

Now it was his turn to shrug. "Miss Granger, you are very lucky. Both of your wizards seem to care about you very much, and they obviously love each other, albeit in a different way. It very rarely works like that. Triads are about power first and love second. Only the truly lucky ones get the benefit of both. Don't feel sorry for me. I've made my choices, and I am content in them."

But when Celeste walked in with Michael on her arm, beckoning imperially for Thello, Hermione saw the look that passed between Michael and Thello, one of desperate longing and regret. She was sure she'd never seen anyone less content in her life.