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Quartet	By : OracleObscured Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 128263 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 11
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters/things/places created by J.K. Rowling. I make no money from my fan-fiction.

Chapter List
- 82
- 83
A/N: Well, again, me and my best laid plans just don’t seem to work out. (But who knows, maybe it’s better this way.) I got sick after posting the last chapter, and everything got put on hold. I’ve still been editing the past chapters, just not as quickly as I’d hoped. But I’m to a place where I’m okay with getting the epilogue up. I cannot begin to tell you what a very long, strange trip this has all been. (Emphasis on the long.) This story has become extremely personal to me and will probably always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m grateful to all of you who have been following since the beginning and sharing the experience with me. I desperately need a break after all this, and I don’t know when I’ll get up another story, but I have several plot bunnies hopping about in my head, gnawing at my brain with their oversized teeth, so I’m sure I won’t be able to stay away long. (I’m guessing I’ll make it a couple of weeks before I break down and start writing something else). Thank you again to everyone who has commented and reviewed; your enthusiasm means a great deal to me, and some of your reactions have been positively priceless. You’ve made this process (which has been harrowing at times) magical. Much love from me to you.—OO
Epilogue: Encore
“But home was a dream, one I’d never seen till you came along.”—Jason Isbell
(Draco)
"Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One hundred.” Draco lowered his hands from his eyes and blinked, adjusting to the light. “Ready or not, here I come.”
He did a quick scan of the hall to make sure no one was hiding behind him, but it appeared deserted. Hmmm. The closest open door was the library, which seemed as good a place as any to start.
Wandering in, he studied the room. Severus sat on the sofa, reading, but he revealed nothing, pretending to ignore their game altogether.
“I know you’re in here,” Draco singsonged. “You can’t hide from me.”
Muffled giggling came from behind the curtain, and two little feet accompanied the slight distortion of the fabric’s drape.
Grinning, Draco crept toward the window. “I wonder where everyone could be. Maybeeeeee . . . under the desk!”
The giggling returned, the curtain billowing as if concealing an asthmatic ghost.
“Or maybe behind . . . the chair! Nope. No one there. My seeker sniffer must be off today.” He stood right next to the curtain, one hand on the edge. “Maybe I should try upstairs. I only see Severus in here.”
The giggling increased, stifled only by two tiny fists and some damask.
“What was that?” Draco asked in mock shock. “I think I heard something. It sounds like it’s close. Almost as if it’s . . . right . . . NEXT TO ME!”
He yanked back the curtain, and Oriel shrieked, covering her face with both hands.
“Found you,” Draco chortled.
The little girl squealed when he tickled her sides, her curly, raven hair bouncing like springs as she doubled over in mad laughter. Draco scooped her up and hugged her. Oriel always hid in the library. Just like her mother.
“Where do you think your brother and sister are hiding?” he asked, poking her heaving belly.
She shrugged her little arms and looked around the room. “Not here.”
"Maybe Daddy will help us find them.”
Severus didn't look up. “I’m reading.”
“Somebody forgot to tell Daddy he’s not supposed to read in the middle of hide-and-seek,” he whispered to Oriel.
She giggled and patted Draco’s hair as if he were her puppy. “Come play with us, Daddy.”
Severus pretended to think it over, his head tilting at a ponderous angle, but then, smiling indulgently, he heaved out a dramatic sigh. “If I must. But I’m not helping Draco find anyone. That’s cheating.”
He set his book on the table and walked over. Draco passed him his daughter, and Oriel wrapped her arms around Snape’s neck.
After giving her cheek a quick kiss, Severus rested his forehead against hers and, in a secretive voice, murmured, “Just for future reference, successful hiding requires silence.”
Oriel nodded resolutely, but clearly missed that the hint was aimed at her.
Smirking, Snape nuzzled her nose. “Are you going to help Draco look for your siblings?”
She nodded again, this time enthusiastically. Putting her hand around her mouth like a bullhorn, she whispered loudly, “I think Aiden went upstairs.”
“She’s a handy little narc, isn’t she?” Draco laughed.
Severus rolled his eyes. “She gets that from Hermione.”
Draco snickered and motioned to the door. “Upstairs it is. You lead the way.”
They crept through the corridors—sneaky like—and headed for the staircase. As they passed through the front hall, Oriel waved at the framed clipping on the wall, smiling at the black and white photo of Severus receiving the Medal of Distinction from the International Medimagic Guild. The dragon pox vaccine Severus developed with James’s blood had eradicated the disease across Europe, and the Guild was in the process of distributing it worldwide, free of charge. St. Mungo’s had already named a wing after him, and Hermione had insisted on giving birth to the triplets there even though it was a ward for children with long-term illness. She said the babies would breathe new life into the rooms, which might have been true; there hadn’t been a single death in over three years.
When they reached the second floor, Severus set Oriel on the floor, and she scampered toward the open door of her bedroom.
“Aiden?” she called. “Where aaaaaaaare yoooooou?”
Draco found her on her hands and knees peering beneath the bed. “Anybody under there?”
“Crooks,” she reported.
Draco snorted. “No humans?”
“Unh unh.”
Draco checked the wardrobe. He didn’t think there was anybody in the room, but it was best to be sure.
Oriel, distracted by the lure of fluffy cat, wiggled her way under the bed. “Hi, Crooks.”
A groggy meow drifted from beneath the bed.
Draco looked around. There weren’t too many places to hide in the kids’ room. Hermione had everything organized into little bins, and the furniture was all toddler sized.
“Sooooft Crooks,” Oriel muttered.
Draco looked back at the door, where Snape was leaning against the frame. “No one’s here. Let’s try another room.”
Snape nodded absently, watching Oriel’s legs disappear underneath the bed until only her feet were visible. “Somebody’s going to have to fish her out of there.”
“Aiden’s not in here, Oriel. You ready to go look someplace else?”
“Crooks is hiding,” she answered.
"Well, you found him. I guess he loses. Let him rest, love—I’m sure he’s tired. He’s getting too old for hide-and-seek.”
“Come out, Crooks.”
Severus snickered and bent over, joggling her foot with one hand. “Leave that poor old cat alone.”
“I’m stuck, Daddy.”
“You’re not stuck,” Severus said as he crouched down next to her. “Just wiggle back out the way you went in.”
“I can’t. Pull me out.”
Severus rubbed at his twitching lip. “All right, but you’re going to get rug burn.”
“I’m ready!” she said brightly, as if the threat of being rubbed raw by acrylic nap had sweetened the deal.
Shaking his head, Severus took both her ankles and dragged her back, and Oriel slid from beneath the bed with a lethargic Crookshanks locked under one arm, a lunatic smile of success lighting her elfin face. She staggered to a stand and lugged the ancient orange cat to her chest like an oversized prize mackerel.
Crooks gave him a weary look, but stayed limp, resigned to his fate.
“I got him,” she told Snape proudly.
Severus nodded, his mouth pinched to a compressed line of restrained amusement. “Is that why you were stuck?”
“Crooks is heavy,” she explained.
“Yes . . . well, I don’t think he likes having his insides squished out like that.”
Severus carefully lifted Crookshanks and set him over Oriel’s shoulder so he'd be more comfortable. 
The little girl rested her face in the orange fur and held the cat like a baby. “Love you, Crooks.”
“Maow,” Crooks sighed.
“Maybe Crookshanks can help us find Aiden,” Draco said, his voice shaking with stifled laughter. “What do you think?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Crooks is smart.”
“All right then. Let’s try another room.”
They tromped out to the hall, Oriel wobbling under the added weight and swerving drunkenly, but Severus stayed right behind her, nudging her back on course with one knee whenever she started to veer.
Draco looked up and down the corridor. Which way to go, which way to go . . . ? Where would he hide if he were only two feet tall? His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of something out of place. “Why’s the bedroom door open?”
How many times had they told the kids not to go in there without permission?
“I’d venture to guess we've got the right room this time,” Severus drawled.
Draco hurried down the hallway and pushed open the door, his eyes darting in all directions at once. There was dull thunk on the other side of the bed, and Draco dashed around to find his son sitting on the floor facing the nightstand.
Aiden glanced over his shoulder, his giant brown eyes wide with guilty fear, and Draco suddenly noticed what he was playing with—the brightly colored cylinders lined up like castle turrets, a box of tissues in the center acting as the castle’s core. Draco covered his mouth with one hand. He didn’t want to send the wrong message by laughing, but he was about to bust a gut. 
“Oooooooooo,” he tutted, shaking his head. “Mummy’s going to be maaaaaaad at you.”
Aiden’s smooth brow wrinkled with panic, and he shook his head in denial.
Severus left Oriel at the door and came around the bed. When he spotted the issue, he stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows arching to his hairline. Turning his back so Aiden couldn’t see his face but Draco could, he locked his jaw to keep his face straight. Unfortunately, the corners of his mouth were deceptively twitchy, and it almost sent Draco into hysterics.
“That is your son,” Snape said under his breath.
Draco smiled ruefully. “I didn’t know he was so creative.”
“Yes, Castle Dildo is a marvel of modern architecture.”
Draco choked down a snort and bit the twitter from his lips. “Aiden, you know better than to come in here without permission. And you know Mummy’s drawer is off limits. How did you even get it open?”
Aiden looked longingly at his erotic edifice. “Already open.”
“It was already open?” Draco wondered if he’d forgotten to reset the locking charm after their last romp. “That’s no excuse. You shouldn’t have been in here in the first place.”
Aiden dropped his head and began to cry. “I’m sorry.”
Draco cringed. He hated seeing Aiden cry. It felt as if his guts were being ripped out by wild Hippogriffs. Crouching down behind his son, Draco stroked his head. “I’m sure Mummy will forgive you.”
Aiden touched the edge of one bell-ended “tower.” “Mummy might like it.”
Draco had to clamp his teeth into the sides of his tongue to keep from smiling. “I’m sure she’ll be speechless.”
Lucius came in just then, carrying curly-haired Cadence in one arm. She was covered in crumbs and eating a chocolate chip biscuit with one sticky hand.
Lucius looked around at the gathering in bewildered consternation. “What’s everyone doing in here? I found this little beggar stuffed in the cupboard with a box of biscuits. She told me she was hiding.”
“Can I have a biscuit?” Oriel asked, finally distracted from her maniacal petting of Crookshanks.
Cadence held out the half-eaten treat, and Lucius set her down so she could complete the transaction. The two girls looked like prototype Hermiones—tonal opposites—one with blonde hair, one with black. Oriel shoved the mangled biscuit into her mouth, and Cadence ran one hand down Crooks’s back. Reaching out with both arms, she plowed into his bushy fur face-first and hugged her sister, crushing the cat between them.
Severus nodded at the nightstand. “Come see Aiden’s new addition to the house.”
Lucius gave him a funny look and walked around the bed, but he stopped as soon as he spotted the phallic fortress. His lips quivered, and he nodded appraisingly. “Well . . . that’s not something you see every day.”
Severus’s rejoinder was barely audible, "Only when Hermione wants to play musical chairs.”
“What should we do?” Draco muttered, snickering at Snape’s expression.
“We?” Lucius countered. “That’s your boy.”
“I don’t want him to cry,” Draco whispered, his eyes shifting to his sniffling son. “But I don’t want him to think this is okay. He can’t just go through our things.”
“Thank Merlin the playroom is warded,” Lucius muttered under his breath. “He’d have a field day in there.”
Draco could just imagine the empire Aiden might erect with with unlimited supplies. “Do you think I should tell Hermione? I don’t want her to freak out.”
“She’s not going to freak out,” Severus said with a soft snort. “But we might have to buy her some new toys.”
“Those are her favorite,” Draco whispered. “She’d never give them up.”
"I'm just glad we cleaned everything before Frank Lewd Wright broke in and started building without a permit,” Lucius said, nodding at Aiden.
Draco flashed him an amused glare and bent down to pick up his boy. “Come on, love. Let’s go talk in your room.”
“Time out?” Aiden asked dejectedly.
"Probably. We'll see what Mummy thinks when she gets home."
Aiden’s lower lip trembled as his eyes filled with fresh tears. “You’re gonna tell on me?”
Draco hugged him and kissed the top of his head. “I have to tell Mummy what you did. These are her things.”
Severus cleared his throat.
“Okay, they’re our things. But mostly they're Mummy’s. How would you feel if Oriel and Cadence went in and used your special crayons when you weren’t around?”
Aiden looked over at his sisters, who seemed to be playing at pass the cat, the both of them struggling to heave Crooks onto Cadence’s shoulder. Aiden shook his head. “They’ve got their own crayons.”
“What if they took your stuffed python Monty? That’s your cuddly. Wouldn’t you be upset?”
He nodded.
“Well this is the same. You can’t just play with other people’s things without asking.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Draco hugged him again, ignoring Severus and Lucius’s knowing smirks. “I’m never mad at you. Never ever. Just because you get in trouble doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
“Will Mummy be mad at me?”
Draco wished he hadn’t said that out loud earlier. He’d put the idea in his head. “Mummy will love you just as much as she always has. She might be upset with what you did, but Mummy and Daddy would never stop loving you.”
Lucius touched Draco’s back, and the poignancy of the gesture wasn’t lost on him.
“We all still love you, Aiden,” Lucius murmured, petting his ruffled head. “And I happen to like your new castle.”
Aiden perked up. “Yeah?”
Lucius smiled. “Yeah. How about I get you a new set of blocks, and in the future, you can build anything you like without getting into trouble.”
“Yeah?” Aiden said, sounding excited.
Lucius stared at Aiden for a second, as if thrown back into the past, his grey eyes wistful. “Yeah,” he said softly. Lucius leaned over and kissed Aiden’s cheek. “Now, I don’t want you to think that’s a reward for doing something wrong, so you have to prove to me that you understand the rules and you won’t come in here again without permission.”
“I won’t.”
“You’d better go sit in your room and think about how you’re going to apologize to Mummy.”
“Kay.” Aiden buried his face in Draco’s neck.
Draco rubbed the back of his head and smiled at Lucius. Thank you, he mouthed.
Lucius nodded.
Turning for the door, Draco tucked Aiden’s head under his chin. "We'll have a little chat about privacy before Mummy comes home. Sound good?”
“Okay.”
“Can you two pick up the . . . building materials?”
Severus nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Draco waved in thanks and then dropped his hand to Cadence’s head as he passed. “Found you. You're it.”
Cadence was too busy trying to dead lift Crooks to notice.
As he crossed the threshold, Draco heard Severus mutter something about cleaning up.
Lucius snorted. “Are you daft, man? I’m getting the camera. We need to immortalize this moment for all time.”
Draco smiled to himself and brushed his cheek over Aiden’s soft hair. Hermione would be in for one hell of a surprise when she got home. Little did she know she’d left Malfoy Manor that morning, only to return to Castle Cock. He’d give her a thorough tour before bed.
But first he had a munchkin miscreant to deal with.
“Did I tell you how much I love you today?” Draco asked.
Aiden looked up at him and nodded.
“And how much was it again?”
His short arms spread as wide as they could. “This much.”
“I just want to make sure you don’t forget.”
“I ‘member.”
Draco smirked. “You’re a smart boy.”
“Like Mummy?”
“Mummy’s smart, but she’s not a boy . . . a least not last I checked.”
“Will Mummy be home soon?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I miss her.”
Draco hugged him tighter, his heart melting at the sight of his son’s forlorn face. “So do I.”
“You promise Mummy won’t be mad?”
Draco nodded. “I promise.”
"Will I still be in trouble tomorrow?”
“Why, what’s tomorrow?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
“You said I could go to work with you and-and-and we could see Mummy at lunch.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Draco said as if just remembering. “I guess you’d better be extra good. I can’t take naughty boys to the office.”
“I’m good,” Aiden said quickly.
Draco grinned. “I know you are.”
“Can we see the water when we go?”
“You mean the fountain?”
He nodded.
“Sure.”
“Is that where you met Mummy?”
“At the fountain?”
Aiden bobbed his head as if certain his question made perfect sense.
“No. What made you think that?”
“All your pitchers of Mummy are wet.”
“They’re wet?”
“Mummy’s wet.”
I didn’t know our pictures were that detailed. “Do you mean the pictures of her from our honeymoon? That wasn’t from a fountain; she was just swimming in the ocean.”
Draco took Aiden to his area of the kids’ room and set him in the little chair next to his wardrobe. Draco sat on the bed and leaned down, elbows on his knees so he was closer to his level. “Okay,” he said with a soft sigh. “I guess we should start with why you went in our bedroom when you knew you weren't supposed to. Why did you do that?”
Aiden raised his hands in the universal sign of “I don’t know.”
“Were you just curious?”
Aiden shrugged again.
Draco managed to rein in his eye roll. “You’re not the kind of boy who goes sneaking around where he doesn’t belong. You must have had some reason.”
“I wanted to see Mummy’s things.”
“Because you miss her?”
Aiden nodded.
“Well, I understand that. But we’ll have to find some other way for you to feel close to Mummy when you miss her. How about a picture of her?”
Aiden nodded. “I like Mummy’s closet.”
Draco’s brow furrowed, and he stared at the boy, puzzled by the abrupt change in subject. “What do you mean you like Mummy’s closet?”
"It smells like her.”
“Oooooh. Okay. If you miss the way Mummy smells, come and tell me, and I’ll let you go in the closet.”
“What if you’re not home?”
“Then one of your other Daddies will take you. I’ll tell them to let you sit in the closet if you ask.”
“Okay.”
"Good. Now let's talk about privacy. Do you know what privacy means?”
Aiden shook his head.
“Privacy is when you’re alone with no one watching you. It’s having things all to yourself, sort of like a secret. You know when you hide under the table to color? That’s privacy. You want to be alone and keep things to yourself.”
Aiden nodded.
“Well, mummies and daddies like privacy too, and our bedroom is where we're alone with each other. That’s why we like to keep it off limits. We need someplace quiet to go that’s just for us. Does that make sense?”
Aiden nodded. “Like the potty.”
Draco smiled. That was actually damn smart of him. “Yes, exactly. You like privacy in the bathroom.”
“Cadence and Oriel laugh at me.”
“What? When?” Cadence and Oriel tended to include him in everything. Draco had never seen them laugh at him.
“In the potty. They said I look funny.”
Draco rubbed his face. “You don’t look funny. You’re just a boy, and they’re girls. You don’t look the same. Mummy told you about the differences between boys and girls.”
Aiden nodded in confirmation.
“I’ll talk to Mummy about it, and she’ll talk to Cadence and Oriel. It’s not okay that they said you look funny.”
“Will they get in trouble?”
Draco couldn’t tell if he was hoping the would or they wouldn’t. “No. We’ll just talk to them.”
“About piracy?”
“Privacy. But yes, and about what’s normal for boys and girls.”
“I want pwivacy.”
“What, right now? We’re not done talking.”
“No. Later. From the girls.”
Draco smirked but hid it with a quick duck of his head. “Why?”
“Too rough,” Aiden said emphatically. “Cadence hurts me.”
“How does Cadence hurt you?”
Aiden wrapped his arms around himself in a violent embrace. “She squeezes me too tight. Can’t breathe.”
“Hmmm. She can get a little rough. I’ll talk to her. I think she just loves you so much she doesn’t want to let go.”
“Mummy says be gentle.”
Draco smiled. “Yes. You should be gentle with other people. What about Oriel? She doesn’t hurt you, does she?”
“No. But she’s always taking Monty.”
Draco glanced at the stuffed serpent coiled on the floor, its forked tongue a lurid red. “Taking him? Whatever for?”
Aiden shrugged. “She wants him to be in her bed.”
Draco’s lips twitched. Paging Dr. Freud. “Well, maybe we can get her her own stuffed snake so she’ll leave yours alone.”
“Good.”
A racket of thumping footsteps sounded out in the hall, stopping just outside the door. Draco looked over his shoulder, but there was no sign of the girls. “I know you’re out there. Stop spying on your brother.”
Cadence peeked around the door frame. “Is Aiden in trouble?”
“Sort of. We’re just talking. Come in here.”
Cadence and Oriel looked wary. They didn’t want the trouble to spread to them.
“It’s okay; come over here.”
They tiptoed a step closer.
“Come on girls. You’re not going to get in trouble. I promise. Come give me a hug.”
Oriel ran over, and Draco smiled and picked her up, hugging her tightly and setting her on the bed next to him. Seeing her sister make it to safety, Cadence ran over too. Draco picked her up and hugged her and set her in his lap. “Where’re your daddies?”
“In your room,” Cadence answered. “Laughing and taking pitchers.”
“Did Crookshanks finally escape your clutches?”
"Crooks didn’t want to be our baby,” Oriel informed him sadly.
“I imagine not. It’s time for his nap.”
“Will you play with us?” Cadence asked.
“In a little bit. Can we talk about hugging first?”
Cadence nodded, albeit with an air of suspicion.
“Do you remember what Mummy said about being gentle?”
Cadence nodded again.
“Well, Aiden says he loves you very much, but your hugging scares him because you’re so rough.”
Cadence glanced at Aiden, who was staring at them with hesitant fascination, as if worried Cadence might go on a hugging rampage at the mere mention of the act.
“Can you hug Aiden nicely from now on?”
Cadence nodded slowly.
Draco smiled. "Show me how you're going to do it. Practice on me."
Standing on the bed to improve her reach, Cadence wrapped her arms around his neck and did her best impression of a psychopathic strangler. 
Draco tapped her arm for some air. “Just a little more gentle. We all like to continue breathing when receiving a hug.”
Her grip loosened accordingly.
“That’s better. Now hug me as gently as you can.”
Cadence stopped squeezing altogether and hung around his neck like a limp rag.
“You’re very good at this game. Now hug me like you miss me, but I’m a little hurt so you have to be careful.”
Cadence gave him a normal strength hug.
“Okay, that was perfect,” Draco said, smiling brightly. “I want you to hug Aiden just like that—like you’re being careful with him.”
He set her on the floor and patted her back to urge her toward her brother. “Try it out. Make sure you’ve got it down pat.”
Aiden looked mildly worried as Cadence approached, but when he found it more hug and less Heimlich, he relaxed and embraced her in return.
“Can you remember to hug Aiden like that every time?” Draco asked her.
“Yes!”
“Good! You want a hug too, Oriel?”
She nodded, so Draco grabbed her hands and slid her to the floor. 
Cadence practiced her new hugging techniques on her sister, and Oriel looked positively flabbergasted by the change.
“That’s good,” Oriel reported. “No owwies.”
Draco grinned. “Well that’s one problem solved. Now, Oriel, have you been trying to sleep with Monty?”
Her black eyes guiltily slid over to the fuzzy snake.
“Don’t you like your own stuffed animals?”
“I like Monty.”
“It makes Aiden sad when you take him.”
Turning to Aiden, face squinched in sorrow, Oriel grabbed his hand in hers. “I’m sorry.”
Aiden looked pleased by the apology. “It’s okay.”
“That was very sweet of you to apologize. And I’m proud that you forgave her, Aiden.”
They both looked up at him as if waiting for more praise.
“If you like snakes so much, why don’t I get you your own? Then Aiden can sleep with his, and you can sleep with yours.”
Oriel nodded happily. “Okay!”
All heads turned toward the door as the sound of Hermione’s uproarious laughter filtered down the hall. Guess she found the masturbation mansion. 
The girls both ran for the door. “Mummy’s home! Mummy’s home!” Their voices faded down the hall.
Aiden stayed in his chair, anxiously biting his lip the same way Hermione did when she was nervous. Draco held out a hand to him, and wiggled his fingers. “Don’t be scared. Just tell Mummy you’re sorry, and she’ll forgive you.”
Draco stood, and Aiden cautiously put his hand in his father's. Stooping over, Draco walked with him, squeezing his fingers reassuringly as they walked down the hallway.
When they arrived, Hermione was kissing the girls hello and listening to their spastic recap of the day’s events.
Aiden hid behind Draco’s leg.
Hermione couldn’t help but notice her only son avoiding her. “I see you back there, Aiden. Did you do something you shouldn’t have today?”
Aiden stared to cry, his tiny fingers clinging to Draco’s trousers.
Cadence and Oriel watched the proceedings with wide eyes.
Crouching down, Hermione smiled and opened her arms. “Come here, baby boy. I missed you today, and I need lots of hugs.”
Aiden’s fear must have had a change of heart, because he dashed over to her like a bolt of lighting.
Hermione enveloped him in in a tight embrace and kissed his head. “There’s my sweet boy.”
“I’m sorry, Mummy!”
Hermione nuzzled the top of his head. “I forgive you.”
“Are you mad at me?” he hiccuped.
“I’m disappointed that you broke the rules, but I am not mad at you.”
“We had a nice little talk about privacy,” Draco murmured over Aiden’s sniffling. “He understands why the bedroom is off limits.”
“Alone and quiet,” Aiden reiterated.
“Yes,” Hermione agreed with a smile. “That’s very good. Did you sit in the time-out chair to think about why we don’t break rules?”
Aiden shook his head.
“I’ll take you,” she said. “Come on.”
When she stood, Draco leaned in and kissed her hello. “Missed you, Mummy,” he whispered in her ear.
Snickering, Hermione pecked his neck. “Missed you too.”
“I was an extra good boy today.”
Hermione snorted. “I know you were. I’ll stuff you full of reward biscuit later.”
“In the bath?”
“Wherever you like.”
“I look forward to that.”
Hermione shot him a grin as she led Aiden back down to his room.
Severus came out of the bedroom, patting Oriel and Cadence on their heads as he passed. “Who wants me to read them a story before dinner?”
“Me! Me! Me!” they both cheered.
“Go pick out the book you want to hear and meet me in the library.”
They tore off down the stairs, black and blonde hair trailing behind them like duotone tumbleweeds.
Severus put his arm around Draco and kissed his forehead, his black eyes flashing with the hypnotic glint of distant stars and outer space, eternally deep. “Are you taking a bath with me or Hermione tonight?”
“Both of you,” Draco said quickly.
Severus smirked. “And leave Lucius to get the kids ready for bed all by himself?”
“Yup.”
His snicker puffed through Draco’s hair. “You tell him.”
“Okay.”
Giving him one last kiss, Severus headed off after the girls.
Draco peeked into the bedroom and watched as Lucius packed away the camera. "Did you get enough pictures?"
Lucius closed the case with a grin. “I don’t know if that boy is going to be an architect or a porn star, but whatever career path he chooses, we’ll be able to say we knew from a young age he was destined for greatness.”
“I think he’s too sensitive for a life of porn.”
Lucius sputtered out an inglorious guffaw. “True. Did he stop crying yet?”
“I think so. He’s with Hermione now.”
Taking a step closer, Lucius put his hand on Draco’s shoulder, a small smile on his lips. “You’re a good father, Draco. I’m proud of you. I don’t know where you find such a reserve of patience. I know you didn’t get it from me.”
“Thanks. But don't sell yourself short. You’re great with the kids.”
“Now,” Lucius clarified, a note of sadness in his voice. “It just makes me see how horrible I was with you.”
Draco leaned in and put his forehead to Lucius’s shoulder. “Still love you.”
With an exhalation of amused affection, Lucius wrapped his arm around Draco’s shoulder and kissed his head. “Love you too.”
“Would you like know how you can prove that love?”
“How?” he asked suspiciously.
“Take the kids tonight while we're in the bath.”
“Guilt trip favors—you did learn something from me,” Lucius said with a chuckle.
“Is that a yes?”
“I suppose I can sacrifice myself for one night.”
“Thanks.”
"Maybe I’ll tell the kids a nice bedtime story in your absence.”
Draco looked him in the eye and guessed, “‘Lucius Malfoy and the Golden Galleon Mystery’?”
“I was thinking ‘Hermione Granger and the Snake Pit.’”
Draco laughed. “Our origin story. I hardly think that’s appropriate for children.”
“I was going to edit it for content.”
“I can’t imagine what would be left that you could tell them.”
“The most important part,” Lucius said, his smile softening. “Mummy’s magical love.”
Draco couldn’t help grinning. “You’re getting soft, old man.”
“I’m ripening with age.”
“Like a mushy brown banana.”
“I learned that from you.”
“I’ll take the credit. Luckily Hermione’s got a sweet tooth.”
“Hermione has a cum tooth. Much more advantageous for our purposes.”
Draco glanced down the corridor. “You want to go see if she’s ready for an appetizer?”
“In the middle of time out? Scandalous!”
Draco snickered. “I’ll relieve her of toddler duty. You can get in fifteen minutes or so before dinner.”
“Fifteen minutes.” Lucius rolled his eyes. “I guess I’ll have to make do.”
“You’re a real trooper,” he quipped. “I’ll go get her.” Draco started off toward the kids’ room.
“I’m telling Mummy you’re starting to get cheeky again,” Lucius called after him. “She’s going to put you in the corner.”
“Thanks. I owe you,” Draco called back over his shoulder.
Lucius’s rich laughter followed him down the hallway.
Draco paused in the kids’ door and smiled at Hermione, who was wedged into a tiny chair next to Aiden, talking to him in a soothing voice as she stroked his head. Draco stopped for a second to watch them, his heart beating far harder than it should have.
There were times, like this, when the love in him simply overflowed, and he found himself completely at its mercy. 
He never imagined his life turning out the way it had, and he was constantly on-his-knees grateful for what an astonishingly surprising place the world could be. He had to revel in it, roll around and bury himself in every glorious instant until he’d smothered himself in all the goodness.
He could never thank Hermione enough for all she’d given him: his sweet little boy and two adorable girls. His father. His Severus. His family. His home.
His life.
The only way he could show her how much all that meant to him was to love every single one of them with all he had, with every ounce of his heart, body, mind and soul.
Forever.
But even forever didn’t feel like enough time for his heart to express all it contained. He’d give it his best effort, though.
“Lucius would like to see you in our room,” Draco said when he’d caught his breath. “I’ll look after Aiden and then take him to supper.”
Hermione gave him a funny smile. “Okay. Just three more minutes. Then Aiden said he’s going to draw me a picture to make sure I know he’s sorry.”
Draco took her by the hand and hauled her out of the chair. When she was in his arms, he kissed her lips and nuzzled her nose. “I’ll take care of him. You’d better hurry. There’s not much time before dinner.”
“Not much time for what?”
“I’ve no idea what that man has in mind,” Draco whispered in her ear, “but I suggest you take off your knickers before you get there. His eyes were like two fucking geodes when I suggested you two have a play date; you know how he gets when the magic starts flowing.”
Hermione kissed his jaw. “Mmm,” she hummed. “I’ll work up an appetite.”
Draco kissed her forehead, aware that they were being scrutinized. “Save some for me, Mummy.”
Hermione snorted and shook her head. “I always have some for you.”
“I’ll remember you said that.” Draco swatted her arse to get her going out the door.
Hermione jumped and threw him a shocked look, shooting a pointed glance in Aiden’s direction. “Draco!”
He gave her a rebellious grin and shrugged. “I thought I should have a good reason for my time out later.”
“Daddy’s being naughty, Aiden. Don’t pick up any of his bad habits.”
Draco sat down next to Aiden and smiled at him. “Pretend you didn’t see that. I was just trying to get a rise out of Mummy.”
“No hitting,” Aiden told him.
Hermione snickered. “That’s right. You keep being a good boy, Aiden. I’ll take care of Daddy later.”
She waved bye and dashed out the door.
"Are you in trouble, Daddy?”
“Oh, probably.”
“You’re not scared?”
“Nope. I like to make sure Mummy knows how sorry I am. It makes me feel better.”
“Will she make you sit in the corner.”
Draco bit his tongue and nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe.”
“Will you cry?”
If I’m lucky. “That’s between me and Mummy.”
Aiden nodded once and politely looked away. “Pwivacy.”
Draco dissolved into a giggling fit, doubled over to hide his face. Oh gods! Did you hear that, mother? Brilliant little bugger, isn’t he? 
His heart fluttered in response, peaceful joy flooding him with warmth.
Pressing his palm to the center of his chest, he nodded. 
He couldn’t have said it better himself.
Encore—“a demand, as by applause, for a repetition of a song, act, etc., or for a performance of a number or piece additional to those on a program, or for a reappearance by the performers, as at the end of a concert, recital, etc.”—Dictionary[dotcom]
“Cover Me Up” written and sung by Jason Isbell. Released in 2013 on the album Southeastern.
Unh! I love this song (especially the live version from Austin City Limits I’ve linked here—much better than the studio version IMHO). The song is about Isbell’s rocky battle with alcoholism and the strength he finds in his wife’s love. (And that’s his wife, Amanda Shires, playing the violin if you watch the video. She’s a singer-songwriter and general musical bad-ass who happens to have a Masters of Fine Arts in Poetry.) I’m extremely picky about what country music I like (although some people consider him Folk), and this song just hits all the musical g-spots for me. (Also love “If We Were Vampires” and “White Man’s World” if you want to hear more.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NaUCDqWzy1k
Frank Lloyd Wright—One of the greatest American architects EVER!
I wanted all the kids’ names to have something to do with fire in a homage to Hermione’s power (but Lucius insisted on being contrary and naming his child after their shared affinity for music).
So for name meanings, Snape’s child, Oriel, is: a compound of fire and strife (so very Severus and Hermione). Oriel was first used as a variant of the Germanic Aurildis aus "fire" and hild "battle.”
Draco’s child is Aiden, which is derived from Aodhán, the pet form of Aodh, which means “fiery” and/or “bringer of fire” and was the name of the Celtic sun god.
Cadence is Lucius’s child, and her name (in musical terms) means “a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of resolution.”
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