Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Any characters, places, etc. you recognise belong to J. K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for creating this magnificent world in the first place. No copyright infringement is intended.

Huge thanks to Anogete for betaing this.

*****

Severus Snape Apparated to the gates of Malfoy Manor and waited for a house-elf to let him in. Though it was already September, the air was warm and still felt pleasantly like summer.

Three years had passed since the end of the war and the downfall of Voldemort. After he had been cleared of all charges, Snape had been reinstated as Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It could be proven that he had killed Dumbledore on the Headmaster's own request and had secretly continued to support the Order.

Still, many people felt uneasy about him, especially now that he was back teaching their children. And many more remained unsure about his true loyalties. His testimony on behalf of Lucius Malfoy hadn't helped to alleviate the suspicions about him, and neither had the fact that the two men remained friends. The public had breathed a not so quiet sigh of relief when the Headmistress hadn't offered him the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and had instead appointed Kingsley Shacklebolt for that position. Kingsley had lost a leg to Voldemort and would never work as an Auror again. Public opinion also agreed that redemption hadn't done much for Snape's personality. He was not a popular man. It didn't bother him.

Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, had not only escaped both Azkaban and the Dark Lord's wrath, but had also managed to remain relatively unscathed by the downfall of Voldemort and the hunt for his followers. At the last minute, he decided to pass vital information to the Order and to help them track down his former allies.

During his trial, he claimed that Voldemort had coerced him into his service and that his only intention had been to protect his family. His wife, Narcissa, had been publicly murdered by Voldemort himself; Lucius Malfoy's obvious grief for her had helped to support his case. His son, Draco, who had also changed sides towards the end of the war, had claimed as well that his father had always wanted the best for his family. In the end, the Wizengamot had found Lucius not guilty as nothing could be proven against him. Those who could have told otherwise were either dead or knew better.

Not only was Lucius still one of the wealthiest wizards in Britain, he had also spent the better part of the last three years rebuilding his former influence by any means necessary.

*****

A tiny and very young house-elf scurried to the gate and bowed deeply. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Sir. Dibsy is leading you to Master."

Snape followed the elf up to the house and into the hall where another, slightly older, house-elf took his black summer cloak.

Dibsy then lead him into the parlour and announced, "Professor Snape is arrived, Master."

Lucius Malfoy stood at one of the open terrace doors that looked out over his grounds. At the elf's announcement he turned round and greeted Severus, "Welcome, old friend; it's good to see you again. I presume you know Miss Granger?"

Snape's eyes fell upon the young woman who sat gracefully on one of the settees. Hiding his surprise, he bowed slightly and said smoothly, "Good evening, Miss Granger."

Hermione smiled back at him. "Good evening, Professor."

He had assumed for some time that Lucius was seeing someone new. He knew that his friend had been devoted to his wife and that he had truly mourned her. But, he had never believed that Lucius would remain single. He liked women far too much for that, and he hated to be alone.

Nevertheless, it took all Snape's Slytherin cunning and his years of experience as a spy not to stare incredulously at Hermione Granger.

He knew about her break-up with Ron Weasley shortly after Draco's wedding as the society column of the Daily Prophet had gleefully reported it and had, not too subtly, hinted that a clandestine affair of one of the parties involved was the reason. At the time, he had assumed that Ron had cheated on Hermione and felt kind of sorry for his former student, though he thought that she could and should do much better than with the little weasel.

Seemingly, he had been wrong. He had obviously been mistaken in his assessment of Miss Granger. Good for her, though it surprised him. Not that he thought that much about her.

Hermione and Lucius? He found it hard to believe, yet the evidence was right in front of him.

He looked again at Hermione, who was not wearing robes but a light pink summer dress that was buttoned in front and contrasted nicely with her slight tan. The low swooping neckline did nothing to hide her cleavage. He had noted her delicious curves before. A fleeting vision of her and Lucius's entangled bodies passed through his mind and made a considerable amount of blood leave his brain and head for another part of his body. He arranged his traditional black robes tighter around him and noticed that the room had become rather quiet. Fortunately, Dibsy came back at this point to announce that dinner was ready.

*****

They sat down at the exquisitely set dinner table, and Lucius raised his glass. "To friends and to a very special lady on a very special evening." He smiled at his guests.

Snape raised his glass, too. "To friends," he said simply, his dark eyes never leaving Hermione.

Hermione just smiled back at both men. The dinner was light and delicious, and the wines were excellent. They were served by the two eager house-elves. Hermione was obviously used to their presence as she didn't show any sign of discomfort or disapproval. Interesting. Her attempt to free the house-elves in her fourth and fifth year at Hogwarts had not gone unnoticed by anyone in the castle. It had been futile, mostly due to the resistance of the elves themselves.

Snape also observed that Lucius seemed to treat his house-elves a bit kinder than usual. Now that was even more interesting.

*****

After dinner, they took their wine glasses back to the parlour where a fire had been lit in the fireplace, and a new bottle of the exquisite Bordeaux stood opened on a little table. They sat down, Hermione and Lucius on the settee, Severus in the armchair opposite them, and talked about books and who did currently what in the wizarding world. Snape found himself quite impressed with Hermione. He knew that she was clever and well read, but to his delight, he found that she was an astute and witty observer as well. Hermione in turn seemed to enjoy the company of both men very much.

As the evening proceeded she moved sideways into Lucius's lap, and both started kissing passionately, hands tangling in their hair and roaming over their bodies. Her light pink dress and her curly brown hair contrasted nicely with his dark grey robes and white blond hair.

Snape tried to decide if this should be his cue to leave, but continued to observe them with fascination when Hermione turned round so that Snape got a good look at the front of her dress.

Lucius started to unbutton her dress, and Severus noticed that she didn't wear a bra when her round, firm breasts sprang free. They continued to kiss, and Lucius ran his thumbs lightly over her nipples which caused Hermione to moan.

Severus couldn't stop watching them with a tiny ache in his chest, whereas another part further down his body found the display most interesting.

Lucius continued to stroke Hermione's breasts, causing her to whimper into his mouth. He unbuttoned her dress till it was completely open and slid it down her shoulders, leaving Hermione only in her tiny, white lace knickers. Lucius ran his hands over her flat belly and up to her breasts and then down again between her legs while he kissed down her neck. He glanced at his friend to assess Snape's reaction. The sight of Lucius's pale, elegant hands on Hermione's body caused Severus to swallow audibly, but he still couldn't take his eye off them when both looked at him. Lucius whispered something into Hermione's ear.

She smiled seductively and sauntered over to Snape. "I think someone is feeling a bit left out," she said, straddling him.

She put her arms around him and acknowledged his hardness by wriggling a little. Snape groaned appreciatively, and immediately all thoughts of leaving were forgotten. Hermione pushed a few strands of his black hair back from his face and planted a feather light kiss on his cheek. She looked at him, and when she saw no rejection, she proceeded to lay kisses on his face down to the corner of his mouth and then onto his lips. She ran her tongue lightly over his bottom lip, but Snape turned his face away from her. She hesitated for a moment, observing his facial expression. When he gave no further sign of protest, she proceeded to kiss the side of his neck, her fingers busily working at the buttons of his robe.

Snape hadn't noticed that Lucius had walked over to them, too, and now stood behind Hermione, one hand fondling her bare breasts. With his other hand, he reached over her shoulder and ran it through the strands of Severus's hair, causing him to shiver at the unexpected touch.

"Should we move this to somewhere a bit more comfortable?" Lucius purred into Hermione's ear.

"A very good idea." She nodded, standing up and extended a hand to Severus. "Are you coming?"

*****

Snape had never been in Lucius's bedroom before. It was furnished with the same simple, tasteful elegance as the rest of the house, and, like Lucius himself, it possessed a distinctively masculine beauty.

Standing in front of the bed, Hermione stepped matter-of-factly out of the rest of her underwear and her pumps and crawled onto the bed, making sure that both men got a good view of her bottom. She lay down on the bed and patted the mattress. "Care to join me?" she asked in a sultry voice.

Both men sat down obediently on either side of her, their eyes feasting on her naked body. She turned her head to Lucius and kissed him deeply. One of her hands sneaked up into his hair, raking her fingers through the long, silver blond tresses. She ran her other hand lightly over Severus's fully clothed body and turned to him, intending to kiss him. He lowered his head to her left breast and took the nipple into his mouth, alternatively licking and sucking it, making Hermione whimper with pleasure. Lucius watched them both, caressing her other nipple with his thumb. He then moved his hand lower over her belly, her hips and her thighs. Snape leaned over and took her other nipple into his mouth. Hermione played with Lucius's hair when he began stroking her between her legs, eliciting little moans from her. Soon his hand was replaced by Severus's mouth that kissed and licked the inside of her thighs until he finally reached the spot where she wanted him so urgently. He fastened his mouth over her nub, alternatively licking and sucking and made her gasp with pleasure. Lucius was rolling her nipple lightly between his thumb and his finger, from time to time also pleasuring the other nipple. He had slipped his other arm under her back, holding her comfortably. He continued to watch her, desire in his grey eyes as she moaned and started to move against Severus's mouth. Snape felt she was close and slipped two fingers into her hot wetness. The sensations of four hands and two mouths on her body drove Hermione nearly to the edge. When Lucius leaned down and kissed her and Severus started to move his fingers inside her, she started to buck uncontrollably against him, and then her mind went blank and there was nothing but pleasure.

*****

Lucius held her until she calmed down, and her breathing became even again. She snuggled into his arms and murmured, "Clothes."

"Sorry?"

"Clothes," Hermione repeated, waving a finger at the two wizards. "You are wearing too many clothes."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Me or him?"

"Both."

"As my lady wishes," he replied evenly and pulled out his wand.

"Allow me," he said to Snape, and when Severus nodded his assent, he quickly weaved his wand over the other man's body, murmuring a spell. Then he repeated it, moving the wand over his own body before he placed it carefully under the pillow on his side of the bed.

"Better." Hermione, now wide-awake again, smirked at the obvious state of arousal both were in. She kissed Lucius and ran her hands lightly over his pale, muscular body, teasing his pink nipples with her finger, and then she took one of them into her mouth and wrapped her hand around his length, stroking him up and down. Lucius moaned and leaned back, his hair spreading over the pillow. Hermione leaned down lower and took him into her mouth, swirling her tongue over his tip while Severus watched, his eyes glazed over with lust. Hermione looked up and turned to him.

"Let me return your favour," she said softly. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Once again Snape turned his head, so that she could kiss her way down his neck but could not reach his mouth. When Hermione looked at him questioningly, she was surprised to see real emotion in his eyes.

She hesitated for a moment and then kissed his collarbone and his chest, letting her hands wander over his torso and down his sides. His body was different from Lucius's. He was more angular, not as broad-chested and not as muscular. Snape had more the build of a long-distance runner. He had also more chest hair and two scars running over his lower abdomen. He flinched slightly when she traced them with her finger. Lucius was like marble whereas Snape seemed to be chiselled out of sandstone. Hermione liked what she saw and was enticed by the physical contrast between the two men.

Always thorough when investigating, Hermione let her hands and eyes wander lower and found Severus, who was obviously enjoying her explorations, again different but by no means deficient. Her mouth followed, and she kissed her way down his abdomen, following the trail of dark hair.

"Lay back," she invited him, and when Snape complied, she knelt between his legs. She tentatively ran her tongue over him and then flicked it over his tip. When he moaned in appreciation, she took him fully into her mouth. She alternately licked and sucked, responding to Severus's reactions, concentrating on giving him pleasure.

The knowledge that Lucius was watching made her hot and wet and her nipples grow rigid again. She felt one of his hands caressing her back and her belly and then stroking her between the legs.

He had come to kneel behind her, and when he felt how ready she was, he slowly entered her. Hermione whimpered and impatiently pushed up against him to get him quicker and deeper inside her. When he was fully sheathed, he grabbed her hips and remained still. Again, Hermione pushed back, wanting him to move. He did so with slow, languid strokes making her moan against Snape.

This was all it took to send Severus, who was already close, over the verge. Hermione continued to suck and lick, taking everything he was offering her while Lucius continued to move slowly in and out of her. When Snape pulled back from her and just held her, Lucius started to move faster, making Hermione gasp with need and want. "Yes, more."

He was thrusting hard and deep now, and judging by the sounds she made, she was enjoying it very much. He reached his hand around her and flicked his thumb against the little sensitive bundle of nerves, making her come shouting his name. His own thrusting was becoming more and more erratic. It took only a few deep strokes more, and he, too, found his release within her.

When his ragged breathing became normal again, he slowly withdrew and took Hermione in his arms. Snape was lying on the bed behind her stroking her back. She snuggled up to Lucius, and the last thing she heard before she fell asleep was him lazily casting Tergeo over them.

*****

When Hermione woke up again some time later, still safely ensconced in Lucius's arms, she saw Snape standing next to the bed fully dressed. He was looking at her with an unfathomable expression on his face. She was about to say something when he turned and swept noiselessly from the room.