Chapter 7

AN: This was originally written and posted at the 2011 Lucius Big Bang fest on LJ (I post on LJ as madeleone). Many thanks to my betas: Softobsidian, who beta'd it for the fest, and Clairvoyant, who has polished up the rough edges.

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

"Are we in agreement then that Andromeda Tonks is our most likely suspect?" asked Harry of the group. Everyone agreed; it did seem to be the most logical conclusion. "Well then, now that we aren't worried about tipping our hand, we need more manpower. This investigation is about to go full scale. I'm calling in the rest of the Auror Department. Ron, I want you to go to the Ministry and brief the squad with everything we've gathered so far; you'll be team leader. Next, the one thing Andromeda is going to want is her grandson. Blaise, I need you to put together a team and go to my house to guard Teddy. Try not to scare him, though, and don't say too much; he's a smart kid, and he'll figure out something's up. Roger, Susan, thanks for helping. I can always count on you guys down in the Department of Mysteries."

As the others left, Harry turned to the group who remained. "We need a plan. Any ideas where Andromeda would take Hermione? Where would she hide out? Where would she feel safe?"

"I've barely spoken to her in years," declared Lucius. "I have no idea where she would go. And the woman's insane. I don't have a clue what might be going on inside that twisted head."

"We could ask Mother," Draco suggested. "Maybe there's some secret place they went as children, or a special family place."

"Great idea, Draco," said Harry. "You and I will go take care of that. Lucius, I really think you should stay here; there's a chance Andromeda might send another note, maybe even a ransom demand. If you hear anything, contact me at once with this galleon." He handed Lucius a Protean-charmed galleon like the ones Hermione had charmed years ago for the DA; they were standard Auror issue now. "Snape, Jones, you two keep an eye on Lucius here."

"Sure thing, Potter," agreed Mordy. As soon as Harry and Draco had left, Mordy turned to Lucius. "Yer not really gonna sit round here like some trained lap dog while that daft bint's out there throwin' Crucios at Tidbit, are ya?"

"Not likely," snarled Snape. "And there's not a chance in hell that Andromeda's going to send a ransom demand."

"I agree, and no, Mordy, I don't plan to just sit here and wait," said Lucius grimly. "I do have a couple ideas. I just pray one of them is the right one."

~*~

When Hermione woke up again, it was dark. The shaking had stopped, except for an occasional spasm that wracked her body without warning. She hurt everywhere. And she was a mess, dried up puke all over her, knickers and skirt still damp and smelling of urine. Ugh! It was awful. She slowly turned over, groaning with each slight movement. Hermione was surprised to see, in the dim light shining from the stairs, a dinner tray left by the door. Apparently, Annie had been feeling generous after all.

Hermione knew she had to eat and drink to avoid becoming weak and dehydrated, but was leery of anything her captor had left. Still, she had little choice. Carefully sitting up on the edge of the cot, she suddenly remembered her cloak! Looking up quickly to make sure that Annie wasn't lurking in the shadows watching her, she gathered the cloak to her and began searching for the hidden pocket.

"Oh, please be there, please be there," she whispered as her fingers felt carefully along the inner seams. Then her hand slid into the pocket and closed around the small beaded bag, the size of a coin purse. Her emotions crashed. Her wand had been snapped, she had no way to enlarge the bottomless bag that had everything she might possibly need. It was like having the world at her fingertips, but not being able to touch it. She was capable of some wandless magic, but only small spells, nothing like enlarging the bag.

Hermione had to sit for several minutes, fighting off the urge to cry, knowing it would do her no good and would only exhaust her when she needed to conserve all of her energy. Finally, she pulled herself together and shuffled over to the tray. Her joints and muscles were so stiff she moved like an old woman. The tray held a small pot of tea, now cold; a couple of slices of bread, now stale; some cheese, a pear, and a jug of water. She nibbled at the pear first, as that seemed the least likely to be tampered with. It tasted like ambrosia, sweet and juicy. She wanted to gobble it down in big bites, but she forced herself to eat it slowly to see if her stomach would accept the food. By the time she had finished it, she didn't care if Annie had dosed the tea or water or food with anything. She'd had nothing in over twenty-four hours, and she was starving. Besides, she told herself grimly, why would Annie poison her? Then she'd have no one to practice her Crucio on, and she was getting so damn good at it.

She tried to clean up the mess off her clothes, without much success, using the smelly water from the sink. It didn't seem as bad as earlier; either she was getting used to it, or maybe running the faucet was cleaning the stagnant water from the pipes. She rinsed out her knickers and hung them on the edge of the sink to dry. She considered taking off her skirt and trying to wash it out as well, but the sink was just too small, so she just dabbed it off as best she could.

Returning to sit on the cot, Hermione fingered the tiny beaded bag like a talisman and desperately wished she had a wand. Then suddenly, she remembered. For years it had stayed in the bottom of her bag, forgotten. Ignored, more like it, mainly because even holding it gave her a creepy feeling and she didn't want to think about how and when it had come to her. Yet she couldn't bring herself to dispose of it either...Bellatrix's wand. It had really never worked well for her, not like a proper wand should. Would it come to her if she tried to Summon it with wandless magic? She looked nervously toward the door and the stairs beyond. No sign of Annie. If she had any chance of escape, she needed a wand. Well, Hermione, she thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Opening the tiny drawstring on the bag, she held her hand above it and said, "Accio wand!" Nothing happened, nothing at all. "Shit!"

She tried again, more firmly. "Accio Bella's wand!" There. Down in the bottom of the bag, was that a wiggle?

Concentrating hard and trying to draw forth all her magical powers, she tried once more. "Accio Bellatrix Lestrange's wand!" The bag convulsed, and the tip of Bella's wand slid through the opening of the bag. In her excitement, Hermione nearly forgot to grab it before it slid back in.

As she held the wand in her hand, it didn't feel as wrong as she remembered. Or maybe it was she who was different from all those years ago...not as young, not as innocent. The wand had the same core as hers, dragon heartstring, but it was a bit longer and walnut instead of vinewood. Would it work for her now against its former owner's own sister? It was the only chance she had.

The first thing she wanted to do was clean herself up better, as she still felt disgusting, but then she reconsidered. Surprise was the greatest weapon she had, and if Annie came down here and found her all clean and fresh, the jig would be up. So instead, she worked on enlarging the bag, and it sort of worked. But while the bag got bigger, it was still too small to get her hand into. Still, she could Summon what she needed, so she retrieved potions to ease her aches, clear her mind, and strengthen her. There was nothing that would remove the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse, but she felt a hundred times better than before.

She tried to unlock the door, but Alohomora didn't work. Hermione wasn't sure if it was because of the complex charms that Annie had used, or because Bella's wand simply didn't like her. She sat back to wait, figuring she might only get one chance with the unstable wand.

She wondered what was happening out there in the real world and felt a sting of tears at the back of her eyes. Surely someone must be looking for her by now: Lucius, Severus, Harry... someone? But was Lucius even alive? Had Annie captured him or already killed him? No... she couldn't think that! He is alive...he must be. She had to believe that, or surely she'd go mad.

~*~

In the end, Mordy went back to Knockturn Alley to run surveillance over a number of areas that Lucius suspected might appeal to Andromeda. He would send out his spies and bring any leads to Lucius' attention.

Lucius and Severus narrowed the list to three top choices: Rosewood, the Rosier family estate, belonging to the Black sisters' maternal grandparents; Raven Hill, the country home of Pollux and Irma Black; Malfoy Manor, now closed up and in possession of the Ministry.

"Do you really think she would go there...to your home?" asked Severus. "It would give you a distinct advantage, you knowing it so well."

"Since she works at the Ministry, she could get access to the estate, just as she has obtained access to so many things concerning me. And considering it was the Dark Lord's headquarters for that last year, she might find it oh so apropos for dealing with what she considers Death Eater scum. I think she would like nothing better than to lure me to my own family estate and murder me there."

"The woman is mad, but I don't think she is reasoning anything out."

"You may be right," Lucius responded. "But these are our best choices. I'll take Malfoy Manor as you were correct that I know it the best. You check the Black estate. If I find anything at all, I will contact you and vice versa. If we find nothing, we will meet in the forest just north of the Rosier estate."

"Agreed," responded Severus.

~*~

Lucius had been so sure he would find Andromeda at the Manor, but there had been no trace of her at all there nor any signs of recent activity. He'd heard nothing from Severus, so he Apparated to Rosewood. He sent a message to Severus via his Patronus and then set off to patrol the perimeter of the property.

He yawned, rubbing his hand over the rough stubble on his face. Sweet Circe, he was tired. It was nearly dawn; he'd been up more than twenty-four hours and had only slept about three hours the night before. He hoped Severus had some potion tucked in one of his pockets that would perk him up. Suddenly, Lucius stopped and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things, or was that a light moving inside the house? It should be deserted, but perhaps there was a caretaker. He moved in closer to check.

Mere seconds later, "Expelliarmus!" Without warning, his wand flew from his hand.

"Oh, fuck!" he cried.

Standing in a side entrance stood his ex-sister-in-law. His wand was in her hand, and an evil glimmer was in her eye, which eerily reminded him of his other ex-sister-in-law, the dead one. She'd been certifiable as well. Definitely must run in the family, Lucius thought. Although, Cissy seems normal enough. He certainly hoped these appalling genes had skipped Draco...and why in bloody hell was he standing here worrying about Draco's genes when he was most likely going to die in the next few minutes?

"I knew you'd come looking for your little whore. She's waiting for you downstairs. If you behave yourself, I might even let you see her before I deal out your sentence... Move, scum!" she cried, pointing him down the long flight of steps leading to the dungeons.

Where in hell was Severus when he needed him?

~*~

Hermione heard the shuffling steps descending the stairs and lay perfectly still on the cot. She had thought about trying to stun or overpower Annie, but she just didn't trust the damn wand. What if she managed to stun her, but Annie was still outside the cell? If Hermione couldn't get the door unlocked, then she'd be stuck in here regardless. She'd decided to fake unconsciousness in the hope that the crazy bitch would come inside the cell. She figured even if Bella's bloody wand wouldn't do magic for her, Hermione could at least stab her with it, if Annie got close enough.

She heard someone enter the room and rush to the door. "Hermione! Are you okay? What have you done to her?"

Oh, shit! Annie had Lucius. And she'd obviously disarmed him too. Hermione wanted to jump from the cot and run to the door, but she dared not. She had to stick to the plan.

"She's not moving!" cried Lucius.

"I didn't kill her, not yet anyway. Just a half dozen rounds of the Cruciatus, so she's probably a bit knackered after that, don't you think?" She giggled as if she'd just made a joke. "Move over, and don't try anything, or you'll regret it, Malfoy," Annie said, her voice shaking a little. Hermione couldn't tell if she was worried or excited. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I'll let you check her yourself."

Unlocking the door, she shoved him through. "Go on then."

Lucius stumbled to the cot and fell to his knees. "Hermione, sweetheart, wake up." He gently brushed her hair back from her face. "Hermione, speak to me."

As Lucius leaned down to hug her, Hermione took a chance and pressed the wand against his hand. He pulled back cautiously and looked down at her. He was between her and the doorway, thus blocking Annie's view.

Hermione mouthed the words, speaking almost silently, "It's Bella's wand... Was hidden... It won't work right for me... Will it work for you?"

Lucius nodded imperceptibly. "I think so," he mouthed in return.

"Lure her closer."

"What's going on in there? Is she breathing?" snapped Annie.

"Barely. I don't know what's wrong with her. You're going to have to cast a Rennervate or get her some potions or something."

"Seems a bit of a waste, as I'm going to execute you both anyway. Still, I probably should bring her around so she can enjoy the show. Isn't that right, dear Lucius?"

She pushed the door open and came up behind him. "Get out of my way then so I can wake her up."

Lucius wrapped both hands around Hermione's on the wand. Then he bent down as if whispering words of love to her. "Stupefy... together."

Hermione gave a tiny nod and in the next instant Lucius lunged to the side. They aimed the wand point-blank at Annie. "STUPEFY!"

The bolt of pure magic that shot from Bella's wand was so strong the witch flew back and slammed against the wall, her wand flying from her hand. If the spell hadn't knocked her unconscious, the impact with the wall surely would have. Just to be safe, Hermione cast, "Incarcerous!" She Summoned Annie's wand to her.

Lucius pulled himself up from the floor and gathered Hermione into his arms. "Sweetheart, I thought I'd lost you." His lips closed over hers, and he kissed her as if he would never let her go.

Hermione kissed him back, but suddenly pushed him away. "Ungggh! Lucius I'm disgusting. I feel filthy, and I... I smell. There's sick crusted to my clothes and... and..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "... and my skirt smells of pee." She dropped her eyes in embarrassment.

He tipped her face up to his and kissed her soundly again. "You silly, silly girl. To me, you're absolutely the most beautiful thing in the world." He scooped her up into his arms. "I love you, my sweet girl."

"Oh, Lucius. I love you too," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him tightly.

Just then, Severus burst through the door, wand drawn, and crouched down in a defensive stance. Taking in the scene at a glance, he stood up. "Well, damn, looks like I missed the party."

He stalked over to the pair, Hermione still in Lucius' arms. He looked meaningfully at Lucius before proceeding. Lucius seemed to understand, and gave him a nod. Severus leaned in, threading his fingers through her hair, kissing her firmly on the mouth. When he pulled back, he said, "Thank Merlin, you're safe. If you ever do something that stupid again, I'll paddle you myself."

As he stomped away, Hermione just stared after him open mouthed. When her eyes turned to Lucius, he simply smirked. "It is quite possible that I may have given Severus the impression that at some future point in time... we might be willing to consider the idea of... well, the idea of the three of us... together."

"Lucius!" she gasped.

"Well... it is a most interesting... proposition," he said with a sly grin.

Just then they heard the rumble of steps from above. "It appears that Severus has called in the troops. That will be Harry and his Aurors."

Lucius carried her out of the cell, meeting Harry coming down the stairs. "She is fine. You may hug her..." He paused as Harry did just that. "Now, I am taking her home to a warm bath and a hot meal and then tucking us both into bed for an indecently long nap. You may come to the library to get a statement, but not before two at the very earliest. We are both knackered beyond belief." Without saying another thing, he carried her out the door and Apparated them both away.

~*~

Two months later:

Lucius looked over at Severus with a knowing smirk. Severus didn't realize it yet, but tonight was the night that his period of penance would come to an end. When Hermione finally got her Gryffindor courage pumped up enough to accept the idea of the three of them together, Lucius had managed to convince her to allow him to dole out the penance Severus had agreed to.

They'd only had two sessions so far, and tonight would be the third and final one. After tonight, they would move ahead with their relationship on an equal footing between the three of them. Truth be told, his soft-hearted lioness would have forgiven Severus before they even started, but that simply wouldn't do. He'd wanted to make the old boy suffer a little bit at least. Severus had hurt their girl rather badly, after all, and Lucius felt he needed to pay the piper. And though he would have loved to make Severus squirm a little longer, he knew in reality that paybacks would be demanded from his friend at some point in time. So, it was probably best not to carry things too far.

Lucius reflected on the previous sessions. The first night he had allowed Severus, fully clothed, to sit in a darkened corner of their room. He had only been allowed to watch. He had not been allowed to speak nor to touch them. He had not been allowed to touch himself either, for that matter. Lucius had explained he could stay and watch as long as he liked, but if he wanted relief, he would have to leave and go to the guest room. Severus had lasted a grand total of eleven minutes and forty-seven seconds before he stalked out of the room.

By the second session, Hermione had felt more at ease with the idea of Severus playing the voyeur. When he'd arrived, fully clothed, he retreated to his corner, and Lucius had informed him of a change in the rules. No more darkened corner and no more clothes. They were naked...he must be too. Lucius had explained that they both wanted the opportunity to watch him watching them. He had been allowed and encouraged to touch himself this time; however, before he could, he had to first ask permission. Severus had grimaced and glared steely eyed at Lucius, but had agreed to the new terms. Then Lucius had given him an evil grin and added that Severus was also not allowed to come until Hermione and Lucius both had.

Of course Lucius had gotten off, early on, by having Hermione suck his cock. He had held back as long as he could, knowing that Severus wouldn't want to humble himself to ask permission. But finally, as Lucius had reached the brink, with Hermione's lush lips sliding up and down his prick and her cheeks hollowed, Severus had caved in.

"Ahh... dear gods. Please, may I touch myself?" he had finally asked quietly.

At just that moment, Hermione had firmly rolled Lucius' balls in her fingers as she'd taken his length into her mouth. "Yeeeesssss!" Lucius had hissed.

Damn, he hadn't meant that as permission, but Severus had taken it as such. She'd double-crossed him, the tricky little witch. She had looked up at him with a knowing twinkle in those big brown eyes, and as he'd came, she had swallowed every drop.

Well, the deal had been Severus couldn't come until they both had. So Lucius had made sure that it was good long while before he pushed her over the edge. He knew just how to take her there before pulling back to make her wait. He loved playing with Hermione's body. It was like a fine instrument, and the sounds she made, the moans, squeals, tiny whimpers, were all like music to his ears. He especially loved it when she whispered filthy, dirty talk. In the end that night, she had begged and pleaded for him to let her orgasm, and he had come again as he'd pounded into her yielding body. The instant she had come, Severus had bellowed his release as well.

In Lucius' opinion, it had been a most delightful evening and a fun time had been shared by all. Most especially him.

For tonight's session, Lucius moved the chair much closer to the bed. "There you go, Severus. I want you closer tonight so you'll have a better view. Hermione, why don't you make our friend comfortable?"

Severus had forgone all of his many layers and wore only a black dressing gown and flannel sleep pants. Hermione stepped forward with a shy smile and untied the belt of his robe. Reaching up, she slipped one side off his shoulder, then the other, and taking the robe off, she lay it across a chair by the door. Coming back to stand before him, she hooked her fingers in the elastic of his pants and slid them all the way down until she was kneeling in front of him. As he looked down at her there, his cock twitched and hardened. Hermione stood and gently pushed him down in the chair before stepping back to stand next to Lucius.

"Here are the new rules for tonight. If you follow them like a good boy, you may receive a reward later. I realize how difficult that may be for you, Severus. You always were more of a 'bad boy,' weren't you?"

"It takes one to know one," muttered Hermione.

Giving her a look, Lucius continued. "Tonight you may touch yourself as you like; no permission is required. However, you still may not come until I say. Did you bring the potions I requested?"

"In the pocket of my robe."

Lucius stepped over to retrieve them and set them on the bedside stand. Hermione picked one up, holding it to the light to examine it. "You didn't say anything about potions. What are they for?"

Lucius responded, "Merely a stamina potion for Severus and myself. I just wanted to be prepared, my dear."

"Lucius," she said with a worried little frown, "I know for a fact that neither one of you needs those. Are you trying to kill me?"

Severus chuckled as Lucius replied, "Not at all, my sweet. Not at all. You're probably right. I'm sure we won't require them at all. But we'll keep them on hand, just in case the need arises."

He removed her robe and folded back the covers. Then he patted the bed, indicating she should lie down. "Let's get you settled, shall we?" Hermione climbed up on the bed and lay in the center. Lucius studied her for a moment and glanced over at Severus who looked very interested. Opening the drawer on the nightstand, he extracted two silken scarves and tied them loosely around her wrists, then to the corners of the headboard. "There now, just relax and enjoy. Tonight is going to center all around your pleasure."

Lucius removed his own robe and climbed onto the far side of the bed so he wouldn't block Severus' view of the proceedings. Lucius kissed her forehead, her chin, each cheekbone, and then he took her mouth. Gently at first, he teased her with the tip of his tongue, and then as she opened to him, he deepened the kiss. His hands grazed lightly over her body until she was straining up towards him. He pulled back and soothed her, "Shhhh... easy, love. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Lucius continued to run his hands over her shoulders, up her arms to where her wrists were bound, and back down. They slid lightly over her collarbones and down to the notch at the base of her throat, then ghosted over her breasts, coming close but not quite touching. He glanced over at Severus, who was watching intently, but he hadn't touched himself yet, even though he was clearly as hard as a rock. Saving himself, Lucius thought.

"She has beautiful breasts, our witch, doesn't she?" asked Lucius.

"Oh, yes," agreed Severus. "They're perfect, round and so firm, and just the right size for my hands and my mouth. I've always loved her breasts." He licked his lips as if remembering the taste of them.

Hermione blushed. "I'm right here," she said as if they shouldn't be talking in such a way.

"Everything we're saying is true; you always did have issues with self-esteem," said Severus. "I like your breasts very much along with all the rest of you, of course."

"I agree," said Lucius as his fingers teased just around her areola and circled lightly while her nipple tightened into a hard little bud. "And she is so very sensitive," he said, pinching it gently, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger before pinching it again, harder. Hermione moaned in response.

"Yes, very sensitive and so responsive," said Severus, sliding his hand down to touch his own nipple.

Lucius proceeded to worship Hermione's breasts, licking and nuzzling all around them, kissing, nipping, and suckling them until she was groaning aloud and straining at her bonds. He backed off a bit to give her time to recover. The whole time, he watched Severus out of the corner of his eye, gauging his friend's reactions. He'd advanced to touching his cock and lightly squeezing his balls.

Lucius slid his hand down Hermione's body, over her stomach, to cup her mons. His middle finger slipped between her folds to find that her pussy was drenched. He'd suspected as much. He slid his body down the bed. "Open for me." She instantly moved her legs apart, and leaning over her, he inhaled the perfect, musky-sweet scent of her arousal. It was like perfume in the air, and glancing up again, he saw Severus' nostrils quiver. That Potion master's trained nose of his had picked up the scent. Lucius smiled to himself.

Sliding farther down between her legs, he parted her folds with his thumbs and ran his tongue over her, eliciting a little squeal. Turning his face slightly, he said, "Severus, you may come as soon as Hermione does. But I want you to come all over those gorgeous tits we both love. And Hermione, I want you to watch Severus as he gets himself off."

Lucius went back to worshiping her pussy, much in the same manner as he had worshiped her breasts earlier, licking up and down, spearing his tongue through her folds, and flicking her clit back and forth with the tip. First he slid one finger into her, and as she tightened around him, he added another. Crooking them forwards just a bit, he rubbed against the rough spongy little patch there and he suckled at her clit at the same time. Lucius didn't plan to draw this out too long, not like the last time. He had other delicious plans for the rest of the evening. This was only the beginning of Hermione's initiation into ménage à trois. As she obviously approached her peak, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Severus pumping viciously at his cock.

Her eyes were glued to Severus, watching his face and his hands sliding up and down his cock. Hermione groaned and started to babble as she was prone to do just before she came. "Oh, gods... Oh, Lucius! Please... please, make me... make me... Oh, gods... I'm... Oh, fuck..."

As Hermione shouted her release, Severus pumped thick pearly ropes of come all over her tits. Lucius surged up and rammed his cock home into Hermione, but unlike his partners, he didn't climax, but instead, he intentionally held himself under tight control. Gritting his jaw, he lost himself in the sensation of Hermione's hot, tight cunt convulsing around his cock. Once her body had calmed, he began slowly pulling almost all the way out, pushing back in so very slowly, then sliding out again. Slowly, over and over.

Severus stood holding onto the bedpost for support, looking as if he'd just shot all his brains out the end of his cock instead of his seed. Lucius swiped some of the come off Hermione's left nipple onto his thumb, and reaching up, he rubbed it against her lips. Like a baby bird, she opened, licking it off as she sucked his thumb into her mouth.

Looking up at Severus with a twisted smile, Lucius admonished, "Severus, look what a mess you've made of our girl. I really think you need to clean her up."

Severus looked down dumbly, then nodded and moved toward the bathroom to get a washcloth. "No, Severus. Clean her up yourself."

Severus appeared briefly confused at first, but when understanding dawned, it became clear he was not averse to the idea at all. Eagerly he climbed up on the bed and proceeded to lick, suck and clean every last bit of his come from Hermione. And even after he'd cleaned every drop, he still continued to suckle at her nipples, her breasts, her neck, and kiss her mouth. During all this, Lucius was fucking Hermione soundly until she climaxed again, and this time he didn't hesitate to join her.

Lucius allowed himself a brief respite, lying close to Hermione, on her left side as Severus lay on her right. Hermione dozed and looked happily satiated. As far as Lucius was concerned, however, this was only the beginning. He had so much more planned for the night.

Lucius untied her left wrist from its silken bond and asked Severus to do the same with her right wrist. Hermione snuggled down with a smile on her face. As Lucius began tracing his fingers down her side and over her abdomen, she tried to push his hands away. "Mmmm... Lucius, don't. I'm tired," she mumbled.

Lucius chuckled a rather evil chuckle as he secured both her hands with one of his, preventing her from interfering. His hand dropped to play between her legs as he warned, "Don't get too comfy just yet, my girl. We are nowhere near done with you."

Hearing this, Severus immediately perked up; he'd obviously thought the evening's activities were done as well. Hermione's eyes popped open, and she looked nervously from one man to the other. Though she tried to hide it, Lucius could detect her growing excitement by her increased breathing as well as by the pulse at her throat. Her body was practically buzzing like a Muggle electrical current.

"Severus, I have a challenge for you," murmured Lucius, as he studied his friend.

"What sort of challenge are we discussing, Lucius?"

"I've thought of a task for you. If you complete it successfully, your penance will be paid in full."

"Sounds interesting, tell me more," said Severus.

"Our sweet girl has had two lovely orgasms, and she thinks she's ready to call it a night. I challenge you to make her come again. But here's the catch; you may not fuck her, not yet at least. You may only use your hands and your mouth."

Hermione twitched a little, and a needy little whimper escaped from her throat.

"If you do succeed in your task, your penance will be complete. After that, you may fuck her to your heart's content."

Severus looked quite confident. "And your role in this, Lucius?"

"Oh, I shall merely be an observer for now. Although, I might assist if you request. I shall, however, reserve the right to participate fully a little later on."

"Oh, I will most definitely accept your challenge, my friend," Severus agreed with a crooked smile. "You may observe, and if I want your help with anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

Severus knew her body well, of course. They may have been apart for a year, but there are some things a man never forgets. The scent of a woman, the feel of silken skin, the sounds she makes in the throes of passion. He knew all of the places she liked to be touched and just how she liked it...how hard or how soft.

Observing the pair, Lucius discovered he rather liked the role of voyeur. Severus was drawing it out intentionally, he realized. It was clear Severus could have quickly pushed her over the edge, but he was teasing her, making her wait. Perhaps Severus was extracting a bit of penance of his own upon Hermione for staying away from him for so long.

Forgetting that he was only supposed to be observing, Lucius nuzzled her earlobe, then nibbled and sucked it a bit. He pulled back and lay next to her, watching. He knew she was very close, and he knew that Severus knew it too. Lucius couldn't resist, and his fingers wandered up and toyed with her nipples, tweaking them, pulling a bit. After catching Severus' eye and his unspoken approval, Lucius bent and suckled at her breasts, first one and then the other.

Severus pumped his fingers in and out of her body and made good use of his mouth and tongue. Hermione began muttering her litany of gibberish that was a sure sign she was about to lose all control.

"Oh, gods... oh, baby, please... fuck, yes... fuck...oh, god, Severus... Lucius, don't stop... make me... oh, you fucking bastards... finish it.. gods... now, now, noooooooow!" Then she practically howled for them as she tumbled over the edge. Lucius noted that Severus looked as pleased with himself as if he'd won the war single handed... oh, wait, he actually had done that pretty much. Lucius chuckled and knew that he himself probably had a big grin and looked a little sappy as well.

Lucius watched Severus move up Hermione's body and gently kiss her eyes, her cheeks, and her lips before he reverently entered her body. Lucius had been worried that he would be jealous, watching the two of them together. He was now surprised that seeing Severus making love to Hermione felt right. After a few moments, Lucius moved to one side and told Severus to roll over onto his back.

Severus did as he asked, pulling Hermione into position on top of him. Lucius moved behind them, running his palms over Hermione's bum, soothing her, calming her. Then his fingers teased at her rear as he spread the lube generously. Looking back over her shoulder, she gasped when she realized what he intended. With a sexy smile, she urged him on, "Oh fuck, yes! Dear gods, Lucius... Do it! I want you so much... both of you together. I need you both!"

"You shall have us, love," promised Lucius as he used his fingers to prepare her.

Hermione continued to respond to his directions, pushing back when he told her, going slowly, holding still when he said. Severus held her and encouraged her through it all; he distracted her when she needed it. When Lucius' cock was finally buried balls deep in her hot little arse and he was rather wishing he'd taken a bit of that stamina potion, they all began to move.

Slowly at first, he and Severus moved in counterpoint. Then as their rhythm increased, they ended up thrusting into her simultaneously until they were both pounding hard. She convulsed around them, and in a cloud of passion, they all spiraled out of control. Lucius' eyes locked with Severus', and they both knew in that instant they had found something special with their sweet girl, their woman, their witch. Something worth having, worth sharing, worth keeping... forever.

~fin~