Chapter 29

"We're so glad you could come," Lucius said in what Hermione had come to think of as his diplomatic voice.

Celeste nodded and led the way to the sitting room where the Malfoys and Hermione usually entertained guests. Apparently the dissolution of her triad had eradicated Celeste's usually impeccable manners.

She sat heavily on the brocade sofa. Hermione went to sit on the sofa across from the obviously distraught woman, but Lucius very skilfully redirected her, forcing her to sit beside Celeste or look like a total bitch trying to sit where she'd intended.

Tossing a half-hearted glare at Lucius, Hermione took a seat. Celeste didn't seem comforted by her presence, but then, the two women had never gotten along very well. It had taken four men as intermediaries just to get them to engage in conversation.

And now two said intermediaries were notably and painfully absent.

Hermione wasn't exactly upset to hear that the triad had split up. She'd never thought Celeste had been right for either men, and in the short time she'd known Thello and Michael, it was obvious that they were crazy about each other.

According to Thello, though, Michael had also loved Celeste...the two had been married for years, after all. That was the real shock.

Well, that and the fact that Thello and Michael were somehow able to maintain a relationship with one another without losing their magic. From everything Hermione had been told, everything she'd researched herself, triads were supposed to be permanent arrangements, and if they did dissolve, no two members of the former triad were supposed to be able to maintain a relationship without suffering the same faulty magic as Hermione had in the beginning.

Apparently her research had been incorrect.

And very little irked Hermione more than misinformation. She'd already drafted a letter to the author of a recent journal article on the permanence of triads and the immense drawbacks to breaking up, wanting to see what he'd say about this development.

At one time, Hermione might have felt a little relief at the idea that she wouldn't be forced to maintain a relationship with two men if she only wanted one. But the truth was, Hermione couldn't even begin to imagine life without both Lucius and Draco. So different and yet so alike, they fulfilled different needs, sometimes overlapping, sometimes not. It was a perfect arrangement, in Hermione's opinion, and Celeste's situation had made Hermione shiver with dread at the idea that she might, one day, find herself in the same position.

Draco and Lucius had convinced her otherwise. It wasn't as though the two would leave her for one another, after all. Which was just another nuance that made her triad so unique.

"What happened, Celeste?" Draco asked softly, taking a seat beside Lucius on the sofa across the coffee table. The seat that was supposed to have been hers, between her men, where she belonged. She tried not to pout, knowing that she was being silly and selfish, but break-ups always made her feel vulnerable, and she just wanted to be between her men so she could feel safe and loved.

"When I came home from work four days ago, Michael and Thello were sitting in the living room. They said that we needed to talk. Michael explained that he and Thello... lo...love each other, and that he wasn't happy anymore. Not with the triad, and not... with me."

Celeste drew a shaky breath, and Hermione took her hand. Despite their differences, it pained Hermione to see her so obviously distraught. Celeste smiled wetly and squeezed her hand.

"Had Michael ever given you any reason to believe he wasn't content in your marriage?" Lucius asked.

"That's just it," Celeste said, shaking her head. "I think he was content. We could have been happy if he'd never met Thello. We would have lived a long and peaceful life together. But Thello offered him something different than simple contentment."

Hermione knew exactly what Thello offered. Passion and love. Real love, that all-encompassing, unconditional, perfectly flawed, and wonderful love. Content just wasn't enough.

"And they are together, now?"

Celeste nodded. "Michael gave me the house. They were already packed when I'd come home. I'm not sure where they've gone."

Celeste choked on a sob, and Hermione instinctually pulled the older woman in her arms. She cried brokenly for a long time. Hermione couldn't imagine losing such a big part of her life. Hermione didn't know what to do.

"Do you know anything about their magic? Is it still...?" Draco prompted, wincing a little as if realising after that his words were not exactly comforting.

"They used magic to move their things out. I watched. I wanted to berate them, to mock them for being so foolish as to compromise their magic, but it worked perfectly. There was no reason for me at all."

"Was Thello using wandless magic?" Hermione asked, remembering that he had been the only one who'd been capable of that.

Celeste looked thoughtful through her tears. "No... no, he wasn't. I saw his wand. I hadn't seen it in years. What do you think that means?"

Hermione was surprised to see that Celeste was looking at her as she asked that. "It means that even if they can maintain a relationship without losing their magic totally, they've lost the benefits they've gained from being in a triad."

"They will also likely no longer have the ability to heal more quickly. Nor will they live as long as they would have within the triad. And any children will not be as powerful as they would have been if the triad had been maintained."

Celeste's eyes widened. "I guess I can only be thankful that we didn't have children. I wouldn't want them to go through that."

Draco gave Lucius a reassuring smile, and Hermione realised that Draco was, in fact, going through that with the problems between Lucius and Narcissa. At least he was old enough to understand things were better this way, but still. For him to lose his mother only to have her position filled by Hermione, his lover, must be very confusing. Hermione wondered if Draco saw her as some sort of mother-figure. She wanted to laugh, but the idea made her ill.

"Would you like to stay for a few days, Celeste? I understand if you're uncomfortable going back to your house," Lucius offered.

Hermione inwardly cried. How horrible would it be to share a life with two people, to have every room in that house filled with memories, only to go back there alone, knowing the other two were happier together?

"Thank you, Lucius, you're very kind. But I've made arrangements to stay with my sister. She's a Squib, but I think it would do me good to be away from magic for a while, so that when I come back, I can adjust to mine being less potent."

After Celeste left, Lucius had to go into the Ministry. A meeting had been called regarding certain protocol legislature, but Lucius mentioned that he believed it would really be about his slurs toward Hermione followed almost immediately by their coming out as a triad.

"Good luck," she whispered against his chest. She would feel responsible if he lost his job, and she couldn't even imagine what the three of them would do without employment.

Kissing her softly and touching his hand gently to Draco's cheek, Lucius left through the Floo.

"I need a job," Hermione moaned, falling onto the sofa.

"You're telling me."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "What would you do if you could do anything in the world?"

Draco laughed. "Granger, I can do anything in the world."

"I meant, what's your dream? What could you see yourself doing for the rest of your life?"

He leaned back against the arm of the sofa, putting his feet in her lap. She automatically began to rub them. He had very nice feet.

"If you'd asked me a few years ago, I might have said I want to play professional Quidditch."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but I don't think so now. Too much travelling." Draco moaned as she pressed her thumbs into his instep, his eyes falling closed. "This is going to sound so stupid."

"Please," she admonished, tickling him lightly. "Nothing you say sounds stupid. You can tell me."

Sighing, Draco cracked one eye open and looked at her. "All right, but don't say anything, okay? I'll say it and you keep your mouth shut."

Hermione pantomimed zipping her lips shut, but Draco only looked at her blankly. "I promise," she said, remembering her vow to teach them Muggle things.

"I want to help people."

Hermione immediately opened her mouth to tell him that that wasn't stupid at all, that it was quite noble, but he shot a surprisingly potent death glare at her, and she clamped her mouth shut.

"I don't know how. I don't think I could be a Healer..." He didn't elaborate on why, by after his reaction to the owl attack at their work, Hermione didn't think he had the stomach or the bedside manner for such a position. "...Or an Auror." That, Hermione doubted. Draco would make a good Auror. In fact, maybe Harry could...

But Draco's eyes were bright with something, and that made Hermione pause.

"You know, my mother might not have much to recommend her, but she was on so many committees and boards for different charities. She was constantly having fundraisers here at the Manor, and now that she's gone, I doubt we donate a third of what we used to. Father does make quite a few contributions, but those were mostly at my behest when I needed to..."

Hermione smiled very smugly. Draco was lucky she'd promised not to speak, or she'd be crowing right now. She'd just known that Lucius had padded Draco's donations at work so Draco could beat her! Hermione practically squirmed in her seat with glee.

"Anyway," Draco said hurriedly, eyeing her. "I might like to start a foundation like that. One that promotes several causes and not just one or two. Something that has a little bit of everything. And donations could be split according to what the donor wanted."

Hermione's jaw dropped open. Draco seemed to take pity on her, because he said, "All right, talk."

"Draco!" she immediately gushed, pouncing on him. "That's a wonderful idea! And it would be easy, too. We could choose twenty different charities, charities that don't get enough attention as it is, and people could donate to us instead of directly to the cause, and we'd send the money along. That way, the charities won't have to waste their time and money begging for donations, and people can easily donate to several charities at once. I mean, we won't make any money, but it's not as though we'd need it!"

Draco leaned up and kissed her. Hermione hummed happily, feeling better than she had in ages, now that she had an idea of what to do with herself. And it was all thanks to Draco.

"So you want to do this with me?" Draco asked huskily, pulling out of the kiss.

"Absolutely! And maybe even your father could, too. Gods, Draco, I almost hope they do sack him, I'd just love for the three of us to all work together!"

Hermione and Draco talked for over an hour about which different charities they'd each like to support. From the House-Elf Liberation group, to which Draco begrudgingly agreed, to the Werewolf Emancipation Project, to a rather new and struggling charity for Squib education, to one of Hermione's babies, an elementary school for witches and wizards. As it was, it fell to the parents to educate their children with tutors before they started school at eleven, but that meant children from families with money were in a better position right from the start. Families like the Weasleys relied on family members to help educate their children; they couldn't afford the type of tutors Draco had no doubt had.

When Lucius came back in through the Floo, Hermione immediately knew he hadn't been fired.

"Good news, Father?" Draco asked, getting up from the couch and stretching languidly. Unable to help herself, Hermione slid her fingers beneath the edge of his shirt, which had ridden up. Women all over the world were eating their hearts out over skin like this.

"That depends on your perspective, I suppose," Lucius drawled, dropping his briefcase beside the hearth. He stepped up to Draco and Hermione and was immediately taken into both their arms.

"Well?" Hermione prodded as Draco manoeuvred her between them.

Lucius leaned in for a slow, sweet kiss as Draco mouthed the back of her neck. "I will not be distracted!" she said, slapping Lucius lightly on the arm. She turned to glare at Draco, but his eyes were closed as he kissed her.

"It was a slap on the wrist. I merely explained that I hadn't wanted our relationship to be made public, and I did what I thought I had to in order to protect our privacy. I can't say how many actually believed my story, but none are in a position to question me."

Draco snorted. "Father has dirt on every single member of the Board, some several times over." Draco sounded almost proud of this fact, which made Hermione cringe a little, but she supposed it was better than having to deal with the Board's reprimands.

"So is everything okay, then?" she clarified, shivering as Draco pressed his body against her back. He'd made several attempts to initiate intimacy while Lucius had been at work, but she'd put him off, wanting to show both of them how she felt. She didn't want to end up like Celeste's triad, with one member feeling left out, and the best way to do that would be to make sure they did most things together.

"Everything is fine, though I suspect I will be watched with rather more scrutiny than usual." Lucius mimicked Draco's actions and fit himself against her body, running a hand over her hair and tilting her face for a deeper kiss.

"Nothing more than you're used to from times past," Draco said seriously, and Lucius nodded.

Draco's hand snaked around to settle between her thighs, and Hermione groaned. "Take me upstairs," she whispered.

Lucius must have got to it first, for when they Disapparated, they ended up in his bedroom.

Hermione had never been in here with Draco before. Both men tended to prefer her bedroom, both when there was only two, or the times when all three were together. Less often, she would go to their rooms.

She'd wondered if there would ever come a time when they would regularly sleep in the same bed together. It seemed odd to be in a relationship without actually sleeping with the person (or persons, in her case). Sometimes one slept over, sometimes both, sometimes neither. It wasn't an arrangement she was very fond of, and she made a note to take to them about it when there weren't more... pressing matters at hand.

Draco said a wandless spell and suddenly Hermione was completely naked. "Draco!" she cried, trying to cover herself. There was, of course, no point being shy, but the move had been so abrupt she hadn't had time to adjust.

"Get on the bed," Draco ordered.

Hermione's eyes widened. She looked at him a long moment, but he didn't back down, not even to smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. Lucius was watching carefully, but offered no reassurance.

Crossing the floor to the bed and crawling on, she could feel their eyes on her. The sensation was so intense it was almost as though they were touching her.

Draco turned to Lucius, and they spoke a moment in low voices. Then Draco nodded, and they both moved toward the bed.

"Everything okay?" she asked in a small voice, not used to the entirely predatory way they were both watching her.

"Everything's fine, pet," Lucius reassured. He knelt by Hermione's feet and drew one leg up, pressing kisses along her shin. His lips felt both hot and soothing, and Hermione sighed, relaxing into the pillows.

Draco came up beside her and pulled her into his arms. "You are beautiful," he told her, his voice very serious. Hermione would almost be worried if she didn't trust them so much.

He kissed his way down her chest as Lucius moved his way up. Draco settled at her breasts, drawing one nipple into his mouth and rolling it with his teeth. Hermione shivered at the borderline pain, her hands running through the silky lengths of his hair.

Lucius finally arrived between her thighs. His mouth moved softly, teasingly against her body, not quite giving her the pressure she needed. Draco leaned over her to give attention to her other nipple, and his tugging and tormenting made her even more desperate for Lucius to give her more.

"Please," she whispered, uncaring who took pity as long as someone did.

"Please, what?" Lucius murmured, lifting his mouth for only seconds to speak before plunging back down. His fingers were trailing up and down her quim, never entering her.

"Please, Lucius, put your fingers in me... Draco, make him," she begged, writhing. With two men in bed with her, there really should be more hands on her.

"Hear that, Father? She wants me to make you do something," Draco quipped, nipping Hermione's lower lip before devouring her mouth. Hermione eagerly responded.

"So much to learn," Lucius drawled, fingers moving even lighter. Hermione cried out in protest.

Lucius' tongue finally increased its pressure, expertly circling her clit and giving her enough to grind against as she worked her hips. She would have held his face between her legs, but Draco was holding them over her head as he ravished her mouth.

With a quick move, Lucius was beside her, turning her so she faced Draco. Her kiss with Draco didn't miss a beat. Draco seemed intent on keeping her attention focused solely on him, but that didn't mean Hermione didn't notice when Lucius left to get his wand. He returned to the bed, but Hermione didn't hear him cast anything, so she let Draco steal her attention until Lucius demanded some.

Lucius began placing soft kisses along her shoulder and neck, just enough to stimulate her, but not enough to drive her mad. Draco's kisses were still demanding all that she had to give.

Draco's hand let go of hers to move to her arse, and Hermione arched against him as he gripped it firmly.

But a second later, she jerked reactively when she felt a wet coolness between her arse cheeks.

"Lucius?" she said questioningly before Draco stole her mouth again.

"Relax, all right, pet? It won't hurt, but it might feel odd," Lucius said into her ear, and she was reassured by his conviction.

The finger moving on her back hole was strange and foreign, but not unpleasant. She forced herself to relax into their arms, trusting them to take care of her. The finger slipped inside, and Hermione tensed before moaning softly. It did feel odd...that was the best way of describing it.

Draco whispered his handy undressing spell twice more, and Hermione felt instantly relieved at all the naked flesh against her. Feeling their rough clothing abrading her skin had been stimulating and rather naughty, but having them both naked and lovingly moving against her made her feel much more comfortable.

A second finger slid in with the first, and Hermione squirmed a little at the stretch. Draco's hand was squeezing her arse, holding her open for Lucius' ministrations. Of course they had planned this, damn Malfoys! But Hermione couldn't be angry. If she'd known they were going to do this today, she wouldn't have stressed herself out unnecessarily. She'd known for ages that she would take them both into her body, but now she felt truly ready.

She said as much, rolling her hips, but Lucius only chuckled and continued to spread his fingers inside her, adding a third. Upon this addition, Hermione did feel a twinge of pain, but it was easily overlooked with Draco's urgent kisses and Lucius' soothing ones.

"I need to fuck her," Draco said in a low voice, addressing Lucius. Hermione's hand had been working Draco's cock, and it was obvious he wanted her as much as she did them.

"She's ready," Lucius agreed, turning to lie on his back. Hermione looked at him questioningly. She'd thought he was going to take her arse.

"Draco wanted me to stretch you," Lucius explained. "He hadn't done it before."

Hermione's lip curled a little at the implication that Lucius had, but she knew she had no right to think she'd been the only woman for him. She was grateful for the thoughtfulness, and for the fact that it would be Draco's slightly more slender cock filling her from behind.

She climbed on top of Lucius and immediately sank onto his straining length. Lucius muffled a shout at the sudden move, and Hermione sighed happily as she seated herself. It was lovely to eliminate that horrible empty feeling she'd had, and Lucius' long, thick cock did that perfectly.

"Lean forward," Draco said, moving into position behind her, straddling his father's thighs. Hermione did as he asked, rubbing her breasts over Lucius' chest and rejoicing in the moan he gave. Draco was rubbing his hands all over her back and sides, as if to make sure she was okay. She was.

"Draco, I'm fine. I want this," she said, reaching behind her to stroke his cock. He gasped and thrust into her hand, but Lucius pulled her hand away, nodding to Draco.

She heard him take a deep breath as he lined his cock up to her hole.

"Bear down if it hurts," Lucius whispered, stroking her face softly. She nodded.

She whimpered as the head of his cock slipped past her tight ring, but he kept moving, and the pain immediately ceased. It felt infinitely better when he was moving. She did as Lucius had recommended, and the pain disappeared, replaced by a more bearable discomfort.

Draco stopped when he was fully within, panting lightly against her back. She waited for him to move...she was so horny she thought she might spontaneously orgasm...but he seemed to be waiting for a cue. Hermione moved a little, clenching around both their cocks, stunned at the absolute fullness she was experiencing.

She saw Lucius nod to Draco, and the latter began to move. He didn't pull too far from her body, but his thrusts pushed her forward onto Lucius, fucking her on two cocks.

"She's so... you're so fucking tight," Draco groaned, his familiar verbosity during sex coming to the fore again.

Lucius could only groan in response. Hermione knew none of them would be able to last very long like this.

"More, Draco," she said, panting against Lucius' chest, watching the golden hairs there shift with every breath. "Harder, more."

And then Draco was gripping her hips and pounding into her, his movements careful and measured but no less passionate. Her arsehole was clenching every time he moved, which made her pussy convulse as well, and as a result, all three were moaning in chorus each time her body rewarded them.

Hermione kissed Lucius, and he wasn't gentle with her. Biting her lips and thrusting his tongue into her mouth, Hermione experienced Lucius losing control for the first time. One hand was clenching on her thigh, nails digging in rhythmically, and the other was fisted in her hair, forcing her to hold the kiss that she had no intention of breaking.

Draco's pounding of her arse became faster and more urgent, and she knew he was ready to come. She clamped down around him as tightly as she could, the move making her cry out against Lucius' lips as Draco's cock tore into her.

"Fuck!" Draco shouted, his hand on top of Lucius' on her thigh. Hermione could feel her channel slick with the warmth of his come, and she whimpered.

Lucius was thrusting into her from below, still fucking her mouth with his tongue. Draco slipped from her body but stayed where he was, wrapping an arm around her body to play with her clit. Hermione cried out into Lucius' mouth as she came, and the hand in her hair tightened, the extra sensation prolonging her orgasm.

Lucius used the grip on her hair to tear her mouth from his, and he roared his climax. Hermione watched, entranced. She had never seem him look so fierce. If she hadn't just come, she would have at that moment.

Draco flopped onto the bed beside her, a wide, silly grin on his face as he turned to face them.

"You're an animal," he said to Lucius, smiling.

Lucius didn't seem to be in any sort of position to answer. He was looking at Hermione intently. She couldn't bear not to kiss him, so she did. She tasted blood in the kiss and pulled back, looking at his mouth for the source.

He raised a hand and brushed her lower lip with his thumb, and Hermione felt a sting that she hadn't before. "I apologise," he whispered softly, but Hermione shook her head.

"You were amazing," she said. "You were amazing, too, Draco," she added, turning to him.

Draco grinned. "I know."

Hermione slid off Lucius' body, settling between the two men. "I think I'd very much like to do that again," she said.

She didn't like the uncertain look in Lucius' eyes. She knew he prided himself on his control, but that wasn't something he had to maintain around her.

"Count on it," Draco drawled, slapping her thigh lightly. Hermione smiled. She kissed Lucius again, and then again when he didn't respond as much as she wanted. He finally smiled softly and kissed her back.

"Hermione, you want kids, right?"

Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. "What did you do?" she accused breathlessly.

Draco burst out laughing, and even Lucius snorted. "I didn't do anything! I was just asking. I know you do."

She eyed him sceptically for a moment. "I do want kids, yes."

"We do, too," Draco said, cuddling up to her side.

"Well, that's good," Hermione responded slowly. She was sure they'd already had this talk.

"But we were talking the other day, about heirs and everything..."

"Mm, yes, I've been thinking about that as well. The first child will have to be Draco's in order to keep the peace and make sure everything is inherited properly."

Draco looked relieved that she'd given thought to what appeared to be a dilemma. She didn't see the problem.

Lucius was remaining mute, but she knew it wasn't because he wanted to have the first child, but simply that he was absorbing the conversation. She'd learned to read him very well.

"Unfortunately," she continued, "even if we wanted to be fair and have you, Lucius, be the father to the second child, that will only be possible if the first child is a boy. Stupid pure-blood traditions," she finished bitterly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "And you don't have a problem with this?"

"Of course not. I want to have children. I want to have them together. I hope we won't raise them as 'Lucius' kids' and 'Draco's kids' but rather our children, though. I don't much care who fathers them, to be honest."

"I don't want to raise them as mine and his, either," Draco said thoughtfully.

"Nor do I," Lucius added. "I think we should tell them if they ask, though."

Hermione nodded. "That would only be fair."

Draco looked as if he wanted to disagree, but then he nodded as well, looking pensive.

"How do we do that, then?"

"Do what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Er, make sure my son is born first."

Hermione looked incredulously at Draco. He stared back blankly. She looked to Lucius, but he looked as bemused as Draco.

"How do you think I haven't gotten pregnant so far?" she asked slowly.

"Potion?" Draco suggested.

"Right. There's also a charm, which I used to prefer, but you have to use it every time you have sex, and now that I have sex somewhat... spontaneously, it's better to be on the potion. Once a month, and then we don't have to worry."

Apparently she hadn't made things clearer. "So when the time comes, I'll go off the potion, and when I have sex with Lucius, I'll use the charm."

Draco's eyes widened, and Lucius looked rather put out that he hadn't thought of the admittedly simple solution.

"You're brilliant," Draco said with more awe than was necessary for what she'd said. But she took the accolades anyway, sincerely offered as they were.

"I know," she said smugly, echoing Draco's words from when she'd complimented his performance.

Lucius pulled her into his arms, and Draco draped himself over her. She fell asleep feeling absolutely safe and only slightly sticky.