A/N: I am so, so sorry this is so, so late. This whole Covid-19 thing is complicating life. I work for my local county court and we're riding that "essential personnel" train. I do consider myself lucky because there were over 650,000 applications for unemployment compensation in my state and I still have my job, but it's getting difficult to manage my life well.
As for the story, this is my last backlogged chapter. From here on out, I'm writing and posting as I go. I'm hoping to get a few chapters stored up over the weekend, but it's a bit difficult to get in the swing of things again. Anywho, back to our damaged leading lady and our dark and broody men. NOTE: full steam ahead. As in...things getting steamy around here. Also, we gonna have a surprise next chapter! Someone's entering stage left!
DashyDove...Wifey...Моя котёнок...enjoy!
"Relationship, Megeara? Which relationship is that?"
Fuck, thought Hermione, when she realized that she may have given too much away. Immediately, she began to backpedal.
"I mean, I just assumed that you and Rabastan were in a relationship. You seem to be comfortable around each other and you live together."
A raised eyebrow was the only reaction she received.
"Not that you couldn't just be flatmates of course. Flatmates? Manor Mates? Not important. What I mean to say is that you have been especially comfortable with each other while I was here. Not like, say, Harry and I would be. It just seemed like you were together and I just...I'm going to stop talking now before I get myself into trouble."
"I think you mean more trouble, Granger"
Hermione froze at the mirth in Rabastan's voice. She glanced at him and saw that he had a satisfied smirk on his face. When he winked at her, she felt herself begin to blush. Nothing good can come from this, she thought. He couldn't possibly know about the spying earlier. She was certain that she was careful as she snuck away.
Deciding to play ignorant, she said, "Why would I already be in trouble? Aside from almost offing myself today, I can't think of anything else that I've done that requires punishment."
Rabastan's eyebrows rose as he snickered to himself. "You sure? Wanna try again?"
"Vous devenez un véritable emmerdeur, Lestrange."
At her insult, Rabastan openly began to chuckle. "Mais je suis une adorable emmerdeuse, mon petit chat. French and Russian? How delightful!"
Hermione felt herself flushing and her discomfort quickly turned to irritation when she heard the words that left his mouth a moment later. Attempting to stand up once more, she felt Antonin pull her down again...this time onto his lap to keep her from attempting to flee.
"Back to the subject though… You can't think of anything, Hermione? Nothing at all? I'm certain that Toshka would be very interested to hear about your little reconnaissance mission earlier…"
Hermione felt Antonin still and knew that she was caught.
"Tvoyu mat," she muttered to herself. "I don't know what you thought you saw, Lestrange, but you must be mistaken," Hermione said in a final bid to bluff her way out of the situation.
Rabastan slid over the cushions so that he was right next to Antonin and he placed his hand on Hermione's knee.
"Oh, Kitten, I guarantee you I'm not...what I don't understand is why you think that either Antonin or I would care. So you saw me on my knees for Toshka...I'm a bit of an exhibitionist to begin with and the fact that it was you is so much hotter."
Hermione heard Antonin suck in a breath and felt his arms tighten around her. Closing her eyes and preparing to offer an apology to him, she was surprised when she felt him shift and a firmness graze her behind. It was her turn to suck in a breath and she brought her eyes to his in question.
"Printsessa, is it so surprising that I find myself affected by hearing that you saw Rab and I? I am but a man and you are a beautiful and brilliant woman...a woman I have wanted for quite some time. My Polenitsa...the only person to ever survive my fioletovoye plamya. It was excruciating knowing that we were on separate sides of the War. It was not my intention to injure you that day, but a knee jerk reaction to being silenced. I spent a decent part of my life being silenced while punished so that no one would be able to hear me scream as my father beat me. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let it happen again. I owe you many debts for the way the War turned out. It has been difficult for me to stay away, but I figured that you were better off. I see now that I may have been mistaken. That is something I wish to rectify. We have time for that later though. Now, it would please me greatly if you would consent to a kiss?"
Hermione heard the tone of his voice shift at the end of his sentence and knew that he wouldn't force her to kiss him if she didn't want to. The question was, she thought to herself, did she want to kiss Antonin? She was speaking truthfully earlier when she said she didn't want to come between the relationship of the two men. They seemed to fit each other well...they had a shared history and obvious chemistry. She quickly glanced away from Antonin and brought her gaze to Rabastan. The man looked like Christmas had come early. He was watching the interactions between her and Antonin with rapt anticipation and she sensed a slight increase in his breathing. There was something about these two men that made her feel reckless and alive again...the darkness wasn't as suffocating with them there. Turning back to the Russian man, Hermione had come to a decision.
"I will consent to one kiss...but...I want to ensure that Rabastan is alright with this turn of events. Rabastan, would you like me to kiss your lover?"
"Sacred Salazar," Rab whispered. "Yes. Please. Kiss him. I wish to see that very much."
Hermione felt a small smile of content cross her face as she turned her head back to Antonin.
"Chtob menya, you will be the death of me, Megeara."
Their lips met tentatively at first, a mere brush of lips. Hermione couldn't help but be surprised by the gentleness of his lips on hers. A small sigh escaped her as she brought her hands up to slide into his hair and Antonin shifted to lift her so that she was straddling his legs. Hermione's heart was beating a staccato in her chest at the look of longing on his face. Settling back on his lap, Hermione briefly broke contact to pull his bottom lip into her mouth...savoring it as though it were the finest delicacy. She couldn't help but compare it to the pleasure that comes from consuming something indulgent...the darkest of chocolates, the headiest of wines. She laved her tongue over his lip and applied the slightest pressure, biting down. At the sensation, Antonin gave a low growl and she heard Rabastan whimper from beside them.
She had never thought herself an exhibitionist but having Rab observing the two of them sent a jolt of electricity through her body that settled right at her core. She glanced at the man in question and was pleased to see the flush of arousal on his cheeks. Lips quirking into a smirk, Hermione tightened her hold on Antonin's hair and crashed their lips back together. This was no longer the delicate caress from before. Hermione found herself unable to stop the heady moan that left her as she ground her core into the evidence of Antonin's arousal in a steady rhythm. Breaking away from the kiss with another moan, Hermione leant forward to drape herself across Antonin's body, her face in the crook of his shoulder.
As Hermione continued to move against his cock, Antonin brought his hands down to grasp her hips to gain a modicum of control. Things were getting too heavy, they were moving too fast. His head was swimming from the sensations she was evoking. His eyes shifted to the left and he met the molten gaze of his lover. He could see that Rabastan was very interested in where things were heading, but he could also tell that Rab was holding back for fear of breaking the tenuous hold he had on his control.
It wasn't as if they hadn't shared witches in the past...this was much different though. They both had an attachment to this witch. They had to proceed with caution. They couldn't afford to frighten her off...it would devastate them. Focusing his attention back on the writhing witch in his lap, Antonin halted her hips. Hermione whined at the loss of friction and tried to wiggle out of his hold, but he wasn't having it.
"Hermione, Koshka, we need to talk before this goes any further."
Heaving a sigh, Hermione sat back on Antonin's lap and folded her arms across her chest. She knew that he was right, but that didn't make her any less irritated. With what little grace she could muster after having been denied the pleasure she was seeking, Hermione slid off Antonin's lap and sat down between him and Rabastan. Rab turned to the side and pulled Hermione up against his chest.
Leaning over her shoulder, Rab said, "Kitten, I… we… Toshka and I, that is...we have been interested in you for quite a while. You are an amazing woman, Hermione. You're also dealing with some very heavy things at the moment. Because of that, we want to make sure that you have full control of the situation here. All we want is for you to be happy. We think we could make you happy, but that's for you to decide."
The men saw a tear roll down her cheek and they each felt a twinge of sympathy for the woman.
"Rabastan, Antonin…you two were the first people in a long time who seemed concerned about me…not my usefulness… me. Whether it was the depression, the dark magic, the War, normal growing apart, or all the above, I've managed to push myself away from my friends and I have no family left. Every time I meet with Harry or Ginny, I find myself wishing that I could be even slightly as happy as they are…and that makes me angry. That anger turns to resentment and lather, rinse, repeat. I miss them, but I also don't know how to fix it. I must have been here for at least a few hours and not once has anyone tried to contact me…Harry and Ginny both know how to find me if they need to. They don't though - need me, that is."
She began to quietly cry again and Rabastan pulled her tighter against himself. Antonin and Rabastan met each other's glances above her head and, in a moment of silent communication borne of years of closeness, agreed they needed to call in reinforcements. Rab turned the woman sideways and cradled her head against his chest. As he continued to comfort the hurting woman in front of him, Antonin stood up and walked out of the room to call in the cavalry. They were good with comforting...they could do that. What Hermione needed at the moment though...that was someone who could cut through the bullshit and get to the heart of the matter. Someone who could read people better than anyone else they knew. It was time to bring Severus Snape into the fold.
en français
Vous devenez un véritable emmerdeur, Lestrange - You're becoming a real pain in the ass, Lestrange
Mais je suis une adorable emmerdeuse, mon petit chat - But I am a lovable pain in the ass, Kitten
на русском
Tvoyu mat - Bloody hell (literally? Your mother...Russians love bringing mothers into everything lol)
Printsessa - Princess
Polenitsa - Warrior
Fioletovoye plamya - violet flame
Chtob menya - Fuck me
(Do I need to keep doing, Megeara?) - Shrew, Vixen
Koshka - Kitten