Broomsticks and Bedfellows

Broomsticks and Bedfellows


Chapter Six

“Again! Only push me back as hard as you can my dear,” Draco woke up hearing. He rolled out of bed when he noticed Hermione was not with him anymore. They had walked back to the Manor long after the sun had set and had gotten into bed together, without saying much of anything. He padded across the floor groggily, making his way down the spiraling marble stairs of Malfoy Manor.

“Okay Lucius, try again. I think I got it now.” Hermione’s voice rang out from the library. Draco’s eyes perked up and he crept silently towards the library peaking in to see the exchange between Lucius and Hermione.

“Legillimens!” Lucius pointed his wand at Hermione and with the raging force of a tidal wave he flew against the bookshelf, sending numerous stacks of books on the Dark Arts down upon his head.

“See. I told you I had it!” Hermione was smiling as she clamored over Lucius to help the aging Wizard up.

“Indeed you did. Even Draco took longer to master Occulmency.”

“Maybe you should teach me something else. Something that gets revenge on husbands and best friends,maybe?” Hermione spun on her feet and smirked at Draco who was scratching his messed up hair in confusion.

“He taught you Occulmency? That fast?”

“Draco. Yes, yes indeed your wife is now a skilled Occulemens.

“That’s g-g-reat Hermione. I knew you could master it. I just didn’t know you would take to it so fast.” Draco walked up to Hermione and tried to snake an arm around her waist. He wanted to kiss her but she rolled out of his touch.

“Well then, I guess I’ll leave the two of you alone for a while. I’m going to shower and change and then I have someone I need to see. And put some clothes on, honestly, Draco.”

Hermione curled a lip and closed the study doors to give Lucius and Draco some privacy. Hermione was not going to make getting into her graces again easy. There was nothing Draco could do though, but go along with her. He wanted his wife back. He had fucked up and kissed and groped her best friend.

He turned towards his father now, calmly, not like before. If he had learned anything in the last twenty-four hours, it was that his recent tendency of acting on emotion, allowing his head to get away from him, was not serving him well. This was not how a Malfoy operated and he reminded himself of that before he lit into Lucius about Nathaniel.

“So, I had an interesting conversation with my wife’s mind rapist. Care to be enlightened?”

“Draco…I was going to tell you. We discussed the terms yesterday, remember? Lucius took a seat in his favorite soft leather reading chair.

“He mentioned a homecoming of sorts. I found that odd since as I recall, a Mage named Nathaniel who liked to enter the minds of its victims and rape and torture them for his own sinister and twisted entertainment, never lived at Malfoy Manor. Or did he?”
“Surely, you don’t intend to hold me responsible for his actions,Draco?” Draco ignored Lucius for the moment.

“He claimed that he was my brother. Know anything about this, or should I have mother down here too. Let me go wake mother,” Draco started towards the double doors of the study when he was stopped.

“No. You can’t tell her. She will leave me.”

“Maybe she should! So you admit it then? This sick murderer is my brother?”

“Yes.” Lucius said sullenly, his normally regal disposition shrinking. “It was an experiment of Voldemort’s gone awry. He wanted to breed a vampire and wizard in an attempt to make a supreme being.”

“Oh do go on Father, I find this warped and sick plot to screw with the laws of nature fascinating. So Nathaniel is yours and Elizabeta’s child?” Lucius loosened his collar at this, the subject matter clearly making him nervous.

“Not exactly. Elizabeta couldn’t procreate. She could however carry the baby in her womb. Her vampire blood nourished the child inside her womb until it’s birth.”

“So who is the biological mother then? Surely mother wouldn’t go along with this?”

“No and you can’t tell her. I need your mother’s love. She means the world to me. Please Draco, before I proceed, I need to know that Narcissa will be protected from these truths.”

“You have my word Father. It seems that the apple does not fall far from the tree. I myself indulged in something I shouldn’t have. If I could take it back, I would, but the damage is done.”

“Well whatever you did it had a positive effect on Hermione. She seems stronger and more assertive then I ever remember her being.”

“Yes, it frightens me to be quite honest. She is capable of taking the two things I care about most in this world away. Her love, and my son. I fucked up Father, but that isn’t why we are here today. You must tell me everything you know of Nathaniel. “

“Bellatrix…and I made the child. The fetus was then transplanted into Elizabeta where it grew for nine months. I was there at the birth, as was Voldemort. When the baby came out it tried to enter Voldemort’s mind. Out of fear he sentenced Nathaniel to death. I stood at the well behind Elizabeta’s house with Bellatrix and Elizabeta. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill my own son. Bellatrix said she would do it. I couldn’t let the Dark Lord see me fail, so with the help of Elizabeta we fooled them all. The baby spent three days in a cauldron at the bottom of the well. I cast a muffliato spell on it so it’s cries couldn’t be heard. It pained me knowing my son was crying for me, but I had to wait until the coast was clear before retrieving him. When I did retrieve him he entered my mind and swore to kill me and my entire family for what I’d done to him. He found the love he desired with Elizabeta, at least he found pity. She never loved the boy but she did hide him successfully from Voldemort. I know what you must be thinking Draco. What if it had been you? Would I have done the same to you? The answer is…I don’t know. I’m glad we never had to find out.”

“You disgust me Father. How could you do that to a poor helpless child? I have to go. I may call on you at some point and I expect you to act. Is this a problem?”

Draco could barely look at Lucius, but his disgust in his own actions with Ginny Weasley forced him to look at the shame on his father’s face. Lucius nodded and then turned around in his chair in an attempt to hide his grief. Draco bounded through the library doors to find Hermione preparing to leave. She hugged Scorpius and kissed the little boy on the cheek before handing him off to Narcissa. Narcissa glared at Draco and then took the little boy away to give he and Hermione a private moment.

“Am I allowed to ask where you are going?” Draco muttered under his breath. He knew where she was going, but he didn’t want to face the truth.

“You may ask, but it doesn’t mean I owe you an explanation. I’ve allowed you to lead me for far too long Draco. If you truly love the woman that I am you will not ask questions now and will just let me go.”

Draco nodded somberly and let her pass by him. Hermione opened the door to Malfoy Manor and began to step outside into the sunshine of a new day. She was stopped when the voice of her husband spoke out to her.

“Just remember when you are with him today, that I love you and that I will still love you even if …”

“Stop Draco. Yes, I am going to see Harry, but do not say what it is I think you were about to say. We will talk later about the case. For now, let’s leave it at that.”

Hermione stepped through the door, closing it behind her. Draco collapsed on the marble steps leading to the upstairs. He had no right to stop her. He knew she was going to see Harry Potter, to tell him about what she had witnessed. He just had to live with whatever transpired when she did tell him. He felt helpless and weak, his heart in a noose and only Hermione could release it.
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“Harry? Are you okay?” Hermione said when Harry opened the door to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he and Ginny’s home. His eyes were swollen and red and he was wearing only a pair of loose fitting sweat pants. His hair was uncombed and he looked tired, like he hadn’t slept. “Can I come in?” Harry stepped aside and let Hermione inside before closing the door behind her. “Where’s Ginny?” Hermione looked around the room. Chips of glass and broken ceramic plates and bowls littered the floor of the kitchen. It was obvious that Ginny had confided in Harry about what had transpired between she and Draco at The Manor.

“She went to work.”

“And you Harry? Are you going to work?” Hermione sat down on the couch.

“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. How could they do this to us ‘Mione?” Harry broke down at that, weeping like a babe. He rubbed his eyes and tried to push the tears back.

“It’s alright to cry Harry. I did too. Look Harry we have to get through this.” She rubbed the bare skin of his back and Harry leaned into her.

“I thought she loved me and only me. I could have never predicted this.”

“She does love you Harry. I’ve been thinking about his. I’m just sick over Draco’s actions, but Ginny’s actions were even more perplexing to me.”

“What do you mean? She was mad at me. We were in a fight. I told her I didn’t care if she had my children. I shouldn’t have said that. It was cold. I pushed her to it Mione. This is my fault. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Stop it Harry! Just listen to me. This isn’t your fault, not directly anyway.” Harry looked up, rubbing his eyes and putting his fogged up glasses back on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…You and I have been close for years. We have been as close as any married couple. It can’t be easy for either Draco or Ginny to deal with. They can’t understand it, because they don’t have the type of friendship we have.”

“Yes, I see your point, but it’s not as if we were shagging each other ‘Mione!”

“No, we weren’t. But we’ve shared things, close personal things, that usually only a married couple share. I’m not blaming our actions. We fought Voldemort together, with Ron. We had to become close to one another. Now that Voldemort is gone though, we have remained close, especially you and I, Harry. While Draco never outwardly complained about it, I knew it bothered him, yet I disregarded it because I knew he would never tell me to break off the friendship.” Harry nodded as if he understood and agreed.

“Ginny too. I actually told her the other night when she asked if she could help us with the Nathaniel case that I didn’t need her help. I said Hermione would help me. How could I be so stupid?”

“Yes. Therefore, in some ways I think that Ginny was jealous of me. Not on a conscious level. Ginny is a good person at heart, but from her point of view, I had Draco and I also had you Harry.”

“But I’d always told her that you were like a sister to me!”

“Were you being truthful Harry? I have used the same line myself, but I don’t know if its true. If it is true then I suppose we are in the right and they are completely in the wrong.”

“How do we find out if it’s true Hermione?” Harry said moving towards Hermione as they sat together on the couch.

“We kiss Harry. If we feel like a bother and sister then we have to reassess our marriages. If we feel like brother and sister then they really are cheating pieces of shit. If we don’t though…then we have been doing some lying ourselves.”
Harry leaned in, their noses brushing against each other’s and then with fire Harry kissed Hermione on the lips. She allowed herself to analyze the sensations kissing Harry Potter brought. She finally pulled back and so did Harry.

“So what now?” Harry said licking the strand of spit off his lips that hung between them after their fiery kiss.

“I don’t know Harry but that wasn’t like kissing my brother. Was it for you?”

“Well I don’t have a brother ‘Mione,” he said smiling. It was the first time he’d smiled since Ginny had come home and confessed to what she had done. “It was hot, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Hermione said placing her hands on her knees and gulping.

“So what’s this mean Hermione?”

“It means that in some regard we have been hiding things, feelings, from Draco and Ginny, for years.” Harry’s eyes went wide and Hermione could read what he was thinking. He was thinking, no Hermione, I love Ginny not you.

“Relax. It doesn’t mean we are love with each other. It just means that there is more to our friendship then we have claimed there to be. I love Draco with all of my heart. I get butterflies when he enters the room. I don’t doubt our love and neither should you Harry. It’s normal for us to have some latent feelings under the surface for each other. We shared something many married couples don’t ever experience. We had to trust each other. We had nobody else and we laid our lives down for each other. I think the answer to repairing our marriage’s is staring us in the face Harry. Do you see it too?” Hermione faced Harry.

“Yes. We need to give ourselves to completely to Draco and Ginny. We need to give them the trust that we have saved for each other. We need to show them, not just tell them.”

“Yes, Harry. We need to let go of the bond that we share. I’ll always love and trust you. But, I need to have what we have here with Draco too. I’ve held it back from him for far too long. You and I can be aloof sometimes and in doing so we have shut out the two people we love and care for the most. You know how at dinners you and I would reminisce over old times, while Draco and Ginny sat and smiled, feeling left out. We can’t do that anymore. We need to make new memories, memories that involve them. We caused this Harry. How long are we going to punish them?” Harry stood and threw a shirt on.

“Where are you going?” Hermione also stood, clutching her handbag.

“I’m going to find Ginny and get started on making our family! Thank you Hermione! You are absolutely right. You really are the smartest witch of the age.”
Harry kissed Hermione lightly on the cheek and then apparrated away. Hermione smiled to herself and then decided it was high time she practiced what she preached. She spun on her heels and found herself standing in she and Draco’s bedchamber.
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He was shaving in the bathroom and she crept up behind him and pinched his sexy and perfect arse.
“Let me, Dragon,” Hermione said, placing her hand over the razor at Draco’s throat. His eyes grew wide but he reluctantly allowed her to take the razor from him. She flicked her wand and the tub turned on, filling with bubbly water. She slowly removed her clothes as Draco watched her undress. When she was naked before him, she ran her hands down his stomach to his boxers and slid them from his body. Hermione led them into the bath where she slipped in behind Draco. She dragged the razor across his silky skin, kissing the newly shaven skin with each swipe of the razor.

“What’s gotten into you? Am I forgiven?” Draco inquired, but Hermione didn’t speak, she just continued to shave his face, kissing every inch of new skin. He closed his eyes at long last, finally assured that she didn’t have some means of revenge planned for him, relaxing under her soft and expert touch.

“I love you so much Hermione. I can never forgive what I did, but I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I love you.”

“I know you love me Draco. I want to show you how much you mean to me. I want to be your best friend as well as your lover. Your wife, and the mother of your children. I want us to trust each other like I’ve always trusted Harry. I’ve not given you enough of myself, but from here on out…if you want it…everything I am… is yours.” Draco looked at her and choked up. Salty tears filled his eyes and he suddenly felt like he was looking at his wife for the first time. Was she really here, saying to him the things that he was hearing. All the years of doubt that he really was good enough for Hermione were erased and he suddenly felt alive, really alive, like they were on even footing in the marriage. Like he really was good enough for Hermione Granger. They could start over and do things right this time. He kissed her deeply and Hermione felt a wave of heat travel down her body and out through her toes. This was how a woman was supposed to feel after being kissed by the man that she loves.

He carried her to the bed and laid her down next to him. He touched every inch of her body, tenderly as if for the first time. His soft touch sending shivers down Hermione’s spine in such a pleasing way that she became lost in the wave of love that permeated the bedchamber. He touched and caressed her shoulder and stomach and legs and arms until she was riding a plateau of euphoria. When he finally kneeled between her legs and entered her slowly and gently, his tongue wrapped around her tongue, she felt tears of joy burst from her chestnut eyes. They made love like it was the first time that day and then fell asleep in each other’s arms after the beautiful act from man and wife. When they awoke Draco brought Scorpius into the room, and they played for hours with the little boy, enjoying the closeness of their little family. It wasn’t until Scorpius was plum tuckered out from playing with his parents, that Hermione bathed and put the boy down for bed, then returning to the bedchamber. That is when they talked about the plan to catch Nathaniel. It was decided that both Harry and Ginny would help them. The four of them would catch Nathaniel and heal themselves in the process, but Draco and Hermione were well on their way to making a new start.

“Hermione? I don’t ever want to hold anything back form you. This meant something to me today. More then you could ever know,” Hermione smiled at Draco. She knew what it meant, She had always felt it from Draco, she was just too selfish to give it to him before now.
“I recently found out hat Nathaniel is my brother…” Hermione’s eyes grew wide.

Review!?
WTG Mrs. Malfoy in reviews for picking up on the well Harry was thrust into GOOD EYE!

Things will pick up from here. I always intended to write the infidelity scene between Draco and Ginny(hence the name of this Story), but not for gratuitous reasons. I did it to deepen the relationship between Draco and Hermione and also Harry and Ginny. I don’t think it was OOC at all. I think that everyone has a “0” tolerance for cheating in a marriage, but it isn’t until you are forced to deal with it that you see how inflexible your own attitudes are and that some things outweigh personal pride and pain, that being love. Just my opinion and I do respect different opinions as its such a personal subject. Anyways, I expected to get some nay- sayers over that last chapter, and the reviews are fair. Most are really really good which is great! It was scary to write Draco cheating. I had previously said that I would never write Draco cheating unless I intended to kill him off. I had to readjust that thinking for this story,obviously. I didn’t really express how Hermione had not forgiven Draco in the last chapter. She had sex with him in the heat of passion, which I think is a common response actually after a woman has been cheated on, but its hardly the end of the feelings of betrayal. Anyways, I hoped to dig deep into character and thought process and whether I achieved that or not.,….there it is  Thanks and I appreciate all of your thoughts and reviews.