Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

AN: Many thanks go to my betas, Talesofsnape and Shiv5468, who both answered my plea for a beta so I could post to the lm_hgficxchange at Livejournal. And extra thanks to deemichelle, who helped to polish it up afterward. Thanks also to Tales for the lovely banner.

Several hours later, Hermione sat in her partner's office, commiserating over her unwanted house guest. "Severus, what am I going to do? He's making me crazy," she whined.

Severus had been out of the country on business for the past month, so prior to this he'd heard nothing of the attempts on Lucius' life. He stood to walk behind her chair. "Lean back, love," he commanded as he began kneading her neck and shoulders. "Merlin, woman, you are tense." He worked on the knots in her upper back and shoulders. "If it's upsetting you that much, send him away. We could ward a safe-house for him that's as impenetrable as yours. Or, he's welcome to come and stay with me, for that matter."

"For some reason, Draco wants him kept away from the wizarding world. He's really scared for his dad, Severus. I could see it in his eyes. He's terrified that this psycho is going to succeed."

Hermione sighed deeply, tilting her neck from one side to the other as he poked and prodded the knots from her tight muscles. She continued, "I honestly don't know what to expect of him. He makes me feel on edge, jumpy. He hasn't been rude or mean or the Muggle-hating Death Eater I expected him to be. He's actually been polite, engaging, interesting..."

"You're attracted to him," stated Severus bluntly.

"NO!" She exclaimed. "That's impossible."

"What is it that's making you crazy then?"

"I don't know. That's what I can't figure out. Since the first few days when he fried two of my computers, he's been fine. I can talk to him like I talk to you; we discuss books, politics, my work, his work. He's very intelligent, well read; he's even funny at times and so sexy I just want to..."

Severus tilted her head back and looked directly into her eyes. His eyebrows raised in a questioning expression.

Hermione gasped in disbelief. "Oh, sweet Merlin, did I just say Lucius Malfoy was sexy?"

"Well, to be completely honest, my dear, it is quite true; he is," he replied. "That's a given."

"Severus, what am I going to do?" she moaned.

He smirked at her. "You need to burn off some of that tension; want to come home with me? Or I could stop by your house later."

Severus and Hermione had an on-again, off-again relationship. They'd been lovers for a time, shortly after starting their business, but at that point neither had been ready to settle down. Over the last few years, they had met on occasion when both of them were unattached and in the mood for sex.

"What about Monique?" asked Hermione of Severus' latest girlfriend.

"She's living in Milan with an Italian count."

"Ahhh... sorry, I didn't know."

"Don't be; it was mutual." Severus leaned down and kissed her softly. "So... you, me, tonight?"

Hermione was sorely tempted. She and Severus had always been good together, and maybe all she needed to get Lucius out of her head was a rowdy bout of sex. It had been awhile, after all. "I have some proposals to work on at home; could you come by later? I'll open the Floo in my bedroom just for you. How does seven o'clock sound?" she asked hopefully.

"Sounds perfect," Severus replied with a smile.

*~~*

Lucius and Ron had spent the better part of the afternoon dueling in her basement, and when she returned they were deeply involved in a game of wizard chess. She offered to order take-away and invited Ron to stay as well, but Lucius said that Draco had asked him for dinner along with Harry and Ron. Since Lucius had been going stir-crazy, Hermione was sure they were offering him this outing as a distraction. And with all of them along for security, he should certainly be safe.

Ron asked if she wanted to join them, but she declined, using the excuse of needing to complete the proposals for clients she was meeting with later in the week. She said she planned to finish her work, take a bubble bath and go to bed early. She made Lucius a Portkey that would transport him safely through her wards and allow him to return directly to her front hallway.

This had worked out perfectly as far as she was concerned. Lucius would be out of the house and well protected with Harry, Ron and Draco, and she would have complete privacy to shag Severus' brains out. Win-win.

Hermione reheated some leftovers, hurried to finish her work, chose a bottle of wine and fixed a tray of snacks to share with Severus later. She took them upstairs to her room to relax in her bubble bath and wait for Severus to arrive.

*~~*

It was barely eight-fifteen when Lucius Portkeyed back into Hermione's house. The dinner had been cut short when a message had arrived that the three Aurors were needed immediately for something important. They wouldn't reveal to him what it pertained to, but Lucius was quite sure it had to do with his case. He'd demanded they take him along, but Draco had thrust the Portkey into his hand, sending him off before he could protest further.

Lucius was furious. He checked the kitchen to see if Hermione was there, as he wanted to vent his frustration by ranting to her. The kitchen was empty, however, and he recalled that she'd planned to finish some work and go to bed early. But honestly... eight-fifteen? He poured himself a generous amount of Firewhisky and walked back into the living room to sit and brood.

Being distracted, he disregarded the noises coming from upstairs at first. But suddenly, he came to his senses and realized the bumps and thumps he was hearing were not the normal nighttime sounds of Hermione's house. It sounded almost as if there was a struggle going on, and when he heard a muffled scream, he was up the stairs in a flash, racing down the hallway to Hermione's door, his wand drawn.

He flung the door open, surprised that it wasn't even locked, only to find Severus Snape thrusting vigorously into Hermione. A Hermione whose hands were tied to the headboard, and her eyes covered with a black silk scarf. A Hermione whose legs were wrapped around Severus' body, her heels pounding against his arse, urging him on.

"Severus?" gasped Lucius, disbelieving.

Hermione couldn't escape with her arms tied as they were, but the instant she'd heard the intrusion, she'd tried to get away with all her might, bucking against Severus in an attempt to throw him off her. However, upon the door slamming open, Severus had dropped his weight down upon her to both protect her from harm and to prevent her from escaping him. He muttered reassurances into her ear and slowed his thrusts long enough to cast a wandless shielding spell before he growled menacingly, "Lucius, for fuck's sake! Put your wand down; if you hex us, I swear you will live to regret it."

She continued to try to wriggle away in her distress, but he was determined there was no way he was letting her go without finishing this. He'd been too long without his Hermione.

She shrieked, "Lucius, is here? Now? Get off me Severus... mmmffff..." The rest of her words were muffled by Severus' hand clamping firmly over her mouth. She struggled a bit, but neither did Severus withdraw his hand nor even stop fucking her, although he had slowed down a bit. Bastard, she thought, I think he's actually enjoying this. I've always figured him for a bit of an exhibitionist. And although she was as embarrassed as hell, she was also more turned on than she could believe at the thought of Lucius standing there, watching them.

Severus spoke calmly, as if he were having a simple conversation with a friend and had not just been caught in flagrante. "Lucius, as I'm sure you can clearly see, we're a bit busy right now. So, unless you want to join us, I suggest you close the door on your way out. I will be more than happy to talk with you later." With that he bent his head to suckle at Hermione's right nipple as he began again to pump enthusiastically in and out.

Lucius considered the two before he grabbed the door knob. "I will be waiting downstairs, Severus," he said, leaving in a huff. But he didn't quite close the door and paused to peek back at the two.

"Mmmphhfffftt." Severus' hand was still over Hermione's mouth. "Ferus fu-ing shna tay yer han o eee ight ow!"

"If I remove my hand, will you promise not to hex me?" he asked as he ground against her. She soon moaned against his hand, and it didn't sound like a curse. "I intend to finish this," he warned, nuzzling her neck. "Now do you promise...no hexes?" She moaned again as he thrust deeply, grinding his pubic bone against her clit, driving her wild. She nodded, and he removed his hand and pulled the silk scarf from her eyes.

"Ooooh, Severrruusss," she gasped. "Untie me please. I want touch you."

He slowed and looked down at her suspiciously. "Are you sure this isn't a trick? I know your temper, woman."

"I promise, witches oath, I swear. I'll never be able to look Lucius in the eye again, and believe me, I do intend to get even with you eventually. But right now... oh, goddess... right now, I just want you to fuck me, fuck me hard."

"Well then, love, it's my pleasure to grant your every wish." He wandlessly released her hands, and she pulled him to her in a deep kiss.

Lucius soundlessly closed the door the rest of the way and went back downstairs.

*~~*

Lucius waited impatiently for over an hour before Severus strolled down the stairs, freshly showered and dressed in casual Muggle jeans with his shirtsleeves rolled up. He looked sexually satiated. For some reason Lucius wanted to punch his friend's face in.

"Took you long enough," Lucius grumbled, handing Severus a glass of Firewhisky.

"Hermione was a tad upset at the interruption. It took me a while to calm her down. She swears she'll not be able to look you in the eye ever again. I'd suggest not mentioning the whole scene to her if you don't want to get blasted to kingdom come," Severus explained with a chuckle.

Lucius cleared his throat. "I didn't realize that you two were together."

"We're not."

"Excuse me? What did I just witness up there then? That was surely no business meeting."

"We're friends now. But shortly after we first started Grasna, we were together, romantically, for a while. She was really just coming into her own at that time, as a witch, as a woman. She needed a chance to experience life on her own terms, and I felt I wasn't able to offer her what she needed in a long-term relationship. We agreed to remain friends and business partners. We do still come together occasionally to work off tension."

"Hmmmph," grunted Lucius. "Why was I never aware of this... relationship? We've been friends a long time, and I don't recall any mention of anything romantic between the two of you."

"It was no one's business but our own," replied Severus quietly. "Besides, you had other things to deal with then. I believe it was during the time you were going through your divorce proceedings with Narcissa."

Severus sipped his Firewhisky and studied his friend from behind hooded eyes. "She's attracted to you, you know," Severus finally informed his friend. At the disbelieving look shot his way, Severus continued, "It's true. She thought that perhaps a rousing bout of sex would get you out of her head."

Severus took another sip of his whisky and eyed Lucius closely. "Personally, I don't think it's going to help at all. Especially after that little interruption, she's not going to be able to stop herself from thinking about you watching us. I think she was actually quite turned on by it all."

Lucius studied his friend closely. "And you're okay with that? It doesn't bother you at all?"

Severus set his drink down and sat for several minutes studying his friend before replying. He sat with his fingers entwined, index fingers steepled, tapping on his lips, considering. "I am going to share some information with you about our Hermione. I tell you this merely to inform you. It's not about gossip, and if you decide not to act upon it, it is never to go any farther than these four walls. I am not giving up this information to you to give you a means to hurt her; and if I think it necessary, I will Obliviate you without any qualms whatsoever."

"Sweet Salazar, what in hell are you planning on telling me, Severus?"

Taking another sip of his drink, Severus continued. "When I say that I could not offer Hermione what she needed to make her happy, I mean that literally." Severus paused, unsure if it was a wise plan to reveal this to Lucius, but in the end he decided to continue. "Hermione has a propensity for polyamorous relationships, and I believe she would ultimately not be happy, in the long term, in a monogamous commitment."

"Poly... are you serious? She prefers ménage à trois?" Lucius seemed more curious than shocked. Severus figured that was a good sign.

"I believe it may stem from her early bonds with Potter and Weasley..." Severus tried to explain, only to be interrupted by Lucius.

"So you're saying the Golden Trio...really was a trio?"

"No, Lucius, get your mind out of the gutter. They were children, for Merlin's sake. They were and are like siblings, nothing more. But I am saying the close bonds that were formed shaped her psyche. She subconsciously seeks out that kind of connection. She told me herself, in a drunken night of exchanging stories of our youths, that her first sexual encounter was with twins. And she liked it, quite a lot, apparently."

"Twins." Lucius mulled this over. "Ginger twins, by any chance?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, and over the years, there have been other such encounters."

Lucius took in all of this information without revealing any reaction one way or the other. "Soooo... Severus, when you were together... Did you ever... share?"

Severus got a faraway look on his face. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk that was the closest thing to a sappy grin Lucius could ever recall seeing on his friend's face. "Yes, once. But it was just for one weekend. We brought Kingsley home with us from one of the victory anniversary celebrations. He was a little drunk, but he came home with us willingly. It was only the one time, though. He felt that as Minister he couldn't risk the scandal that might come if it turned into a long-term relationship."

"A threesome with Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione Granger and you? Dear Lord, Severus, the magical energy in that room must have been simply off the scales."

Severus sighed again. "It was shortly after that I decided that I should let Hermione go. I just couldn't offer her what she needed.

"Awhile back she took the assignment at Gringotts Rome branch, re-designing all the wards. She started to date a wizard she knew from her Hogwarts days. He was working for Gringotts there. Through him, they both became involved with another close friend of his. Hermione and this friend had been at odds during their school days, but they managed to overcome their childhood animosity toward each other. The three of them seemed happy. That's when I started seeing Monique. I figured, at that point, I'd lost any chance of ever getting her back."

"So, what happened to the Gringotts wizard and his friend?"

"Something came between them; I'm not entirely sure..."

Lucius had a thought and interrupted him. "Wait... Severus, doesn't Blaise Zabini work in the Rome branch of Gringotts?"

"Yes, he does, Lucius."

"It was him! And the friend they were involved with... it was Draco, wasn't it? I noticed earlier an easy sort of closeness between Draco and Hermione. I had no idea; Draco never hinted anything of it to me at the time. What happened to them?"

Severus shook his head. "I really don't know, she never revealed to me what caused the break up, and I didn't really care at that point. When I realized that she was attracted to you, I thought perhaps I could use that attraction to my advantage..."

Lucius interrupted him yet again, "Severus, you Slytherin dog! You set me up. You didn't cast any silencing spells; you left that door unlocked and un-warded, just hoping that I'd come bursting in."

"Why, Lucius, I don't have any idea what you're talking about," replied Severus, trying to maintain an air of innocence.

"I think you do, old friend. You left that door unlocked so I'd catch the two of you together... 'Lucius, as I'm sure you can clearly see, we're a bit busy right now. So, unless you want to join us, I suggest you close the door on your way out.' You were hoping I'd accept the offer and join you, then and there. And knowing Hermione's background and your belief that she is attracted to me, you hoped she would agree."

"Well, it would have simplified things greatly," agreed Severus quietly. "Now, if you are interested in pursuing a connection between the three of us, you are going to have to seduce her yourself; then perhaps convince her to invite me to join in as well. Unless of course, you are put off by the idea that she's been with Draco before and don't want to pursue this. In which case I really may have to Obliviate you of everything that happened here this evening."

Lucius considered everything Severus had revealed. Hermione was a very powerful and attractive witch. Lucius had always been attracted to power; the thought of the three of them together was intoxicating. "No, she and Draco have clearly moved on. You have suggested that she is attracted to me, and I would be lying to you if I told you I didn't reciprocate. And quite honestly, this whole polyamory issue has me quite curious. Tell me more, Severus, tell me more," Lucius said silkily.

tbc