Eight

Thank you all for your lovely comments and encouragement through this fic. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did.

As with all my HP fanfics, I own nothing. These characters belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. I on the other hand, belong only to Dahlra.

Severus woke with a start, then glanced around to see what exactly had startled him. He lay curled around Hermione, who made a soft cooing noise and snuggled closer, the soft cheeks of her gorgeous bottom pressing against his increasingly interested cock. She hummed appreciatively and wriggled delightfully against him, earning a growl of lust.

She turned and placed a kiss on his lips. "Are you alright?" she whispered, turning to face him. She looked rested and happy. Her arms slid around his and pulled him close.

"I am fine," he rumbled, his voice deep from sleep. "Where's Lupin?"

"The loo." The door to the bathroom opened, revealing a naked Remus outlined in the light of the room beyond. Even in shadow, Severus could see the man's erect cock. He felt Hermione's hand close over his own erection, her palm sliding over his rigid flesh in slow, expert strokes.

"Good morning," Remus said, looking a little uncertain. Hermione beckoned to him with her free hand.

"Good morning, dear Remus," she replied with a smile. She glanced down at Severus' now aching erection. "Severus and I were just getting started, but we wanted to wait on you."

"Did we?" Severus muttered, and Hermione turned back to her husband, and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened, but he looked beyond her to the almost painful hope in Lupin's eyes, and nodded. "I think you'd better join us, Remus. Hermione must be satisfied."

Remus smiled, and crossed to the bed, where Hermione pulled him down onto all fours. With a pounding heart, Severus rose from the bed, and watched as Hermione slid beneath their friend, pulling his cock into her waiting mouth. Remus cried out her name, and his hips rocked gently toward her mouth.

Severus approached the man from behind, stroking his own cock. The lubrication spell instantly soothed Remus, and he turned around, his eye wide. "Oh, gods, Severus, if you knew how I've..."

"Hush, I'm nervous enough as it is," Severus rasped, and grasped the other man's hips. He closed his eyes, and gently eased two fingers into Remus' waiting hole. He shuddered with pleasure, and at Severus' command, he gently pulled Hermione until she was repositioned before him, and he parted her legs and lapped eagerly at her soft, wet folds.

Severus' cock was like bone, and he eased into Remus' arse slowly, shivering at the tight, slick heat of his passage. Remus whimpered against Hermione's flesh, and Severus thought about Remus licking his wife's juicy pink cunt, he thought about her sucking Remus' cock. He thought about the warm, soft hand stroking his balls as she reached to make contact with him, and he entered Remus in one long, slow push. He gripped Lupin's hips hard, knowing he was probably leaving bruises, and even that somehow excited him, and in his third stroke he was pistoning into Remus' arse, his rhythm fast and relentless and thrilling.

Remus cried out, and Severus and Hermione took him, fucking him with abandon, both of them pleasuring their friend, a combined force of thrusting, sucking, stroking pleasure. Between them, Remus cried out with every hard thrust, moaning their names, pushing back onto Severus' cock, thrusting down into Hermione's mouth, begging them and fingering her pussy and calling Severus beautiful, dirty names.

Lupin's arse was unbelievably hot and tight, and when Severus angled down and sinuously nudged his prostate, Remus came with a sudden shout of painful pleasure. As Severus watched Remus' semen come spurting over Hermione's breasts and belly, he came with a growling, ragged moan, pumping his issue into a man for the first time in his life. He sagged against Remus' back, breathless, and closed his eyes.

Hermione quickly moved before Remus collapsed on top of her. He was gasping for breath, and looked both exhilarated and exhausted. Severus leaned against their bed, and Hermione melted into his arms. He could feel the sticky slide of semen on her chest, and they both grimaced good-naturedly. Hand in hand, they headed for the bath. Remus had already drifted back to sleep again.

It was much later that Severus stirred again. As before, he and Hermione were alone in their bed, but there was no light in the bathroom. Looking at Hermione's peacefully sleeping face, Severus rose, donning a black bathrobe and pyjama bottoms. He padded soundlessly into the kitchen, and made a cup of tea.

The events of the previous night paraded across his mind. It had been a special moment in time, but one he knew they would never repeat. It had been a gift; perhaps for all of them. He thought of what he and Remus had done, and allowed himself to take comfort and pleasure in it. He thought of how they had made love to Hermione, and nodded to himself. That gave him the most pleasure, and he knew his head was going to stay in the right place over this.

In the front room, the sofa had been restored to its normal shape. Nothing looked out of place or unusual. Looking around the room, he could have been forgiven for thinking the events of the previous night nothing more than a strange, erotic dream.

The note, however, was very real. It sat on the sofa, where the three of them had made love to one another, and Severus retrieved it and read.

Dear Severus and Hermione,

Remus

Severus folded the parchment and stared into the banked embers. Remus was right, of course; he needed to find his own happiness. Severus allowed himself a wistful moment, recalling Remus' placid, calm nature, the blazing passion underneath. He would make any man or woman an excellent mate. Perhaps he and Hermione had helped him to realise that.

Severus laid the parchment on the side table, and rose to prepare a breakfast tray for his wife.

-o0o-

"Oh, I hope he isn't ill. These long-distant Portkeys can make you dreadfully ill, I'm told."

"Which is why we are waiting for Lupin here in London, and not staggering around in the International Portkey centre at the foothills of the Himalayas."

Hermione sighed. "It will be so good to see Remus again."

"It will be even better to see my ingredients manifest," Severus grumbled, as a young wizard jostled him without so much as an 'excuse me.' Gods, if he ever needed a reminder why he didn't miss teaching...

"I'm just so worried the Portkey will make him sick."

"If he's forgotten the Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, he's going to have a lot more to worry about than puking on his shoes."

"You don't fool me for one moment. You're as happy about seeing him again as I am," Hermione retorted with a soft laugh. She smoothed her robes and pushed her mane of hair from her shoulders. "Do I look alright?" she asked, fidgeting with an embellishment on her bodice.

"You look stunning and you know it," he chided.

It was true; Severus felt an absurd surge of pride as he stood with his wife. Several acquaintances nodded approvingly their way. We make a good pair, he thought. This little Gryffindor witch and I.

A Sonorus-enhanced voice drifted across the concourse: "International Portkey ISA773534 arriving at gate two. Portkey ISA773534 arriving at gate two..."

Severus took Hermione's hand, and together they craned to see the first arrivals coming through.

-o0o-

Remus had been as good as his word. They didn't see him for almost a month after Severus and Hermione received his note, but he owled every other day, and sometimes sent a Patronus message just to keep in touch.

Severus was relieved. It had been a special night, and he and Hermione spoke of it at great length, but they were in agreement that it wasn't something they felt the need to repeat. It had been a sudden, in-the-moment thing, and they had taken great pleasure in it, but to dwell on it, or Merlin forbid, try to revisit it would most likely end in disaster.

Time passed, and the three of them met for dinner. Severus had anticipated the meeting to be an awkward affair, but Remus had gone to great lengths to make it as comfortable as possible, and after a rather quiet hour, they relaxed and became friends again. The only sticky moment came at their parting, when he enfolded Hermione in an embrace, and place a kiss on her forehead. He had looked up at Severus, and opened his mouth to speak. Something stilled his tongue, and he gave Severus a rather sad look of wistfulness, and Severus nodded, preferring the unsaid to remain so.

Severus and Hermione never managed to organise their trip to Sir Lanka. Their business kept them too busy, and Hermione's second book commission had a short deadline. Every time they found a little breathing room, some new venture or challenge presented itself, and they couldn't tear themselves away.

In the end, Remus volunteered to go in their place, and so, armed with a Potions ingredients list as long as he was tall, Remus bade his friends farewell and disappeared halfway across the world.

He had been gone six months, but they knew of his daily activities and his adventures. He sent them weekly reports, he owled little gifts and packets of tea, he sent ingredients samples, he spoke of witches and wizards he'd met and befriended. In all his correspondences, he sounded happy.

A group of rather green and queasy-looking witches and wizards came streaming out of the concourse, and Hermione and Severus eagerly checked each face for their friend. For ten minutes a steady stream of increasingly revived men, women and children filed out, fanning themselves and popping anti-nausea potions.

"He must be really ill," Severus muttered, after almost thirty minutes passed and no Remus.

"Perhaps he got the next Portkey," Hermione said with a frown. "It's almost time for the next...Severus, there he is!"

To his relief, Severus saw the disheveled face of Lupin come into view. He didn't look particularly ill, just harried. Gods, I hope he didn't have problems passing those ingredients through customs...

"Severus, Hermione! Sorry to be so late!" He rushed toward his friends, enveloping Hermione in a bear hug and lifting her off the ground. "You look more beautiful than ever!"

"Careful, wolf, that's my wife!" Severus growled, but there was no rancour in his words. He was pleasantly surprised to realise he, too, was happy to see Remus.

"I can't help it, Severus. She's so beautiful and I've missed you both so much!" Remus declared. Nevertheless, he carefully set Hermione on her feet. "What a ride in," he exclaimed, shaking Severus' hand. Their eyes met, and Remus pulled him into an embrace. "You look wonderful too," he said quietly, and released Severus with a pat on the shoulder. "It's so good to see you both, and I've got so much to tell you."

Severus regarded Remus carefully. He was a little travelworn, but his eyes were bright and alert, his skin ruddy with health. He was a different wizard from the man who'd passed out on their carpet months before. He looked content and happy. He looked glad to be alive.

"I'm so weighed down with luggage and gifts and potions ingredients I'm surprised I made it through! Truth to tell, I didn't have too bad a time of it but Selva didn't have such good luck with the Portkey, and the poor dear had to go to the loo..."

"Selva?" Hermione asked, a slow, dawning smile spreading across her face. "Who's Selva?"

"Or, what's Selva?" Severus asked suspiciously. Remus laughed, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Well, I owled you that I had a surprise for you," he added, his eyes scanning the crowd. His face lit up with pleasure. "And here she is!"

A pretty witch in her thirties approached them. She was pale beneath her dusky olive complexion, but looked otherwise none the worse for wear. Her long black hair was smooth and shining, and her dark eyes flashed with intelligence and warmth. She smiled softly as she took Remus' outstretched hand. "Well, that will teach me to have a hearty breakfast before a long trip!" she said, rueful laughter in her lilting, pleasant accent. She turned to Severus and Hermione, and smiled her greeting.

Remus put his arm around her. "Selva, this is Severus and Hermione Snape, my two closest friends. Severus, Hermione, meet Selvakumari Sivabalasubramanian."

The witch laughed at their startled expressions. "But please, just call me Selva." She beamed. "I am so happy to meet you at last. Remus has spoken of you so much I feel I already know you."

"I hope you will not hold that against me, nevertheless," Severus replied, with a courtly bow.

"Oh, I don't think there's any danger of that," she replied, looking up at Remus with a startling amount of affection in her face.

The two of them stared at one another for a split second, then Remus started. "Ahh! First things first." He withdrew a small package and handed it to Severus.

"I recommend being in a large room to enlarge that," Selva said, her dark eyes twinkling. "We were up half the night trying to get everything shrunk down enough to travel. You might have an explosion on your hands when you return it to its proper size."

"How exciting! It's like Christmas," Hermione answered, "And we have the perfect place for it. I hope you don't mind, but Severus and I thought we'd all stop at our place for a cup of tea first, and then we can give you a tour around Hogsmeade, if you not too tired..." The two women walked ahead, arm in arm, chatting comfortably, like old friends.

They silently followed behind their witches for a few steps. "Hermione looks wonderful," Remus mused.

"So you said."

"And how far along is she?"

Severus looked at him keenly. Remus shrugged. "Her hormones are all over the place, she weighs about a stone heavier than the last time I saw her and she's glowing. It couldn't be anything else."

"How did you know about the hormones? Oh," Severus grumbled, as Remus laid a finger to the side of his nose. "I should have known your base animal instincts would come into play."

"I prefer to think of it as concern, but you will think the worst of me."

They continued a few steps in silence. Severus observed Remus out of the corner of his eye. The man looked positively smug. "Will Miss Sivabalasubramanian live with you, or will you join her at Hogwarts?"

At Remus' startled look, Severus did a fairly credible imitation of his shrug. "Minerva owled me about a candidate from Sri Lanka who had applied for the Ancient Runes position, so I thought I'd help research her credentials. They seemed to be in order, so I recommended her." At Remus' grateful expression, Severus waved his hand dismissively. "It would not do to have you moping about the place, sending expensive owls across the world."

Remus looked at Severus sharply, then laughed. "I should have known you'd look out for me."

"I prefer to think of it as spying, but you will think the best of me."

Remus laughed. "I suppose it sounds rather sad, but I'm glad you've been spying on me. It's good to know good to know I have friend who care about me, enough to make sure I'm alright." He paused, and added softly, "It's a good feeling, surrounded by friends who don't give a damn about past lives and mistakes. People who believe that a person can change and grow and reinvent themselves and still be who they are. You and Hermione have always tried to instill that in me."

Severus glanced over at his friend, and the contentment and joy he saw in Remus' face gave him a sense of peace, of completion. Remus was the last loose end he had needed to tie up before he and Hermione settled down to start their family. Now he was safe and happy, and not alone. Severus thought of his unborn child, and the terrifying responsibility of bringing that child into the world. He wanted to be worthy of this child; after all these years, he finally felt he was.

Severus looked at his wife, laughing and exclaiming over something Selva was saying. She turned in profile, and he saw the graceful swell of her belly, and the love he felt for her multiplied, like Gemino, filling his heart to bursting point for his witch and his unborn child. "I might have been her professor, but Hermione has been my true teacher, Remus. She made me realise that I needn't be the person I had become. One can reverse course at any time. The point of power is always the present."

He caught Hermione's eye, and she beckoned to him. Before he joined her, he gestured toward Selva. "It's time. Past time, really. Go and write your unwritten saga, Remus Lupin. Look at that fresh, blank page and write that new chapter. No one else can write it; only you know how it will end."

Remus smiled quizzically. "And how will I know, my sage friend?"

Severus looked at Hermione. "Because you will make it happen."

They caught up with the witches, and Hermione took his hand in hers. "Home?" she asked.

Yes, you are, he thought. "Yes. Home."

~Mischief Managed~