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Thoughts of Hermione haunted Severus throughout the day, to the point that he chose to take his supper in his chambers rather than face the girl in public. He scolded himself that he was no better than Lucius, hiding from a schoolgirl's attempts to frighten him off. Still, it made the girl no easier to face, especially with the memory of her lips fresh in his memory. Heaven help him, she was delicious- her brain as vital and exciting as her body, and her newfound cunning and subtlety was the wrapping on an already tempting package.

He frowned, thrusting his knife viciously into a piece of cold sausage. How had Lucius known before he even knew himself? He answered his own question with a self-deprecating smirk. Because it's what Lucius did.

When the Dark Lord rose to power for the first time, Lucius entertained Death Eaters at lavish parties, full of flirtation, intrigue, and often heady mixes of power and sex that were like opium to impoverished, awkward Severus Snape. Lucius took him under his wing, subtly schooling Severus in the ways of the rich and unapologetic. Severus was never certain if Lucius catered to his desires or created them through subtle manipulation, and he marvelled at the man's skill.

However, the Dark Lord's resurrected body did not allow him to participate in such frivolities and ordered them to stop, which is why, Severus privately suspected, Lucius began deliberately undermining the Dark Lord. The most egregious example of this was his bungled attempt at stealing the prophecy and preventing his fellows from doing any permanent damage to the children in the Department of Mysteries. Thus, he waited out the Dark Lord's wrath in Dementor-free Azkaban.

Yes, Lucius was either the luckiest fellow in the world or one of the most subtle and cunning, and Severus did not believe in luck.

He chewed thoughtfully on a roll. Lucius had deliberately planted the suggestion that Hermione Granger was now an adult. He'd also aroused Severus's covetous tendencies by proclaiming his own desire for her. He'd basically driven the girl into his arms. The question was, for what purpose?

A knock at the door pulled him from his reverie. He Vanished his half-eaten meal.

"What is it?"

To his surprise, Harry Potter entered his chambers and sat down across from him without being invited.

"I need to talk to you about Hermione," said Potter.

With a growl, Severus was on his feet, arm pointed at Potter's head. Potter had the good sense to duck, but calmed when Snape growled, "Hold still, damn you."

Snape cast a spell, and Harry was bathed in blue light. Not under the Imperius Curse, then. He lowered his wand and sat at his desk.

"All right, Potter. Speak your piece, then get out."

"I just wanted you to know that I tried to talk Hermione out of fancying you, but it didn't work."

Severus scowled at him. "What?"

"That's what you needed to hear, right? That she fancies you and isn't trying to get rid of you. At least not yet."

"And why in the name of all that's magical should I believe you?"

"Because you're a Legilimens and I'm absolute pants at lying. Well, if that's all, I've got essays to write. Good night, sir!"

No sooner had Potter left than the door opened to admit Lucius.

"Pardon my intrusion, Severus, but I have urgent need of your opinion."

"Let me guess- something to do with Miss Granger."

"Of course! What do you think I'm planning to do tonight, grade Charms essays? Now, which do you think she'd prefer, the red sheer pants or the black lace ones with the embroidered skulls?" He held up the undergarments side by side.

"You always overestimated the degree to which red looks well on you," said Severus. "Which raises the question, are you attempting to seduce Miss Granger or myself?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Lucius innocently. "I'd completely forgotten that you liked the black ones. Dashed silly of me. Do you think she'd appreciate the accessories, or would that be too much for a first encounter?"

"Show up nude, for all I care!" exclaimed Severus.

"I suppose too much frippery might make her wondering what I'm hiding," agreed Lucius amicably.

"For the love of three oranges, why are you here, Lucius? Shouldn't you be in your dungeon awaiting the arrival of your strumpet?"

"Didn't I tell you?" asked Lucius, too casually. "That puritanical poultrygeist is still cataloguing my wardrobe and sundry implements, so we're going to have to use your room."

"WHAT?"

"I already told you you're invited," said Lucius. "There's hardly an appreciable difference between being invited and hosting."

"I haven't ample space."

"Nonsense! Just look at that four-poster bed! A few small changes, and it will be perfect." Lucius flicked his wand around the room, draping the walls in fabric, conjuring floating candles and several thick velvet bands, which he tucked under the pillow.

"You misunderstand me, Lucius. I haven't the space for your larks because I won't be participating. Go find a public corridor. You'll enjoy that."

"Now, Severus, there's no need to let jealousy get in the way of fun for all of us."

"I think the only one who would not regret such an encounter is Miss Granger. You're a fool if you think she'll show up without an ironclad plan to get rid of both of us. I will not sit placidly by as she destroys what little reputation we have left."

"If she manages to get me sacked for this, it'll be well worth the ten Galleons," declared Lucius. "Now cease your pseudo-Machiavellian prudery and get dressed. I brought the boots."

Severus crossed his arms. "No. Styles and people change, you know."

"Don't tell me you've got on the straight and narrow!" cried Lucius, scandalised. "Severus, how could you?"

"It has nothing to do with sexual orientation," explained Severus. "It has to do with the girl."

Lucius paused in his primping to smirk at his friend. "I was right, then."

"All right, you were right!" Severus barked. "She's an intolerable vixen and I want her all to myself! I will not share her with you, Lucius. Now, remove yourself from this room before I become angry."

"Now, Severus," chided Lucius, kneeling at Severus's feet and unlacing his work boots, "you know I never look at things in terms of black and white, of yours and mine. If you must indulge in such simple-mindedness, think of it rather that I must share you with her."

"Lucius," he said in a warning tone, as Lucius removed his socks and stuck his fingers between Severus's toes, massaging the skin between them.

"I brought silks," Lucius whispered, massaging the tight arches of Severus's feet with his thumbs. "Won't you put them on? The boots really won't work without them."

Severus's eyes were drifting shut. "The Daily Prophet was right for once. You are an evil man."

Lucius's clever hands were kneading the muscles in his calves. "And the suspender belt?"

Severus sat bolt upright. "I won't have Miss Granger thinking I'm some kind of cross-dresser!"

"Rather, she'll think you some sort of caveman if she heard you now. Really, Severus, if Miss Granger had any hang-ups of that sort, she never would have agreed to come this evening. Now, I brought one without lace if you're truly concerned. See? Leather. Very butch."

Severus made a face. "It's lambskin," he complained. "That's about as butch as a Celestina Warbeck audience."

Lucius nipped the back of Severus's calf, making him jump. "As charming as I find your whining, she will be here any moment. Get dressed and do something with your hair."

"I'll get you for this," grumbled Severus, grabbing the proffered garments from Lucius.

"Promises, promises," said Lucius with a wink.

Lucius settled himself at Severus's desk and propped his feet up on it, wool trousers draped impeccably and black hosiery clearly visible above his patent leather shoes. He released his hair from its ribbon and shook it until it tumbled about his shoulders in what he felt was a suitably attractive way, flowing over the sable accents of his cloak.

"I don't know why I'm submitting to this," grumbled Severus, emerging from the toilet. Lucius gaped.

Severus was dressed in a black silk cassock fastened from Mandarin collar to foot with tiny buttons. The cut emphasised his slender physique, and the high-heeled boots made his legs appear longer than Lucius thought possible. And if that weren't enough, he'd worn the billowing cloak with the silver trim. He'd even combed his hair back from his face and tied it with a ribbon, exposing the harsh angles of his face and his glittering eyes.

"If there weren't a third party in transit," said Lucius in a hoarse voice, "I'd ravish you right now."

"Oh, don't let me stop you," came a third voice. "I'd rather hoped for something of the sort."

Severus steadied himself on a bookshelf.

Hermione Granger stood in the doorway in a short black skirt and a cream-coloured cashmere jumper that Severus longed to touch. She, too, wore footwear that was far taller than anything he was used to; the heels were at least three inches high and her boots came up to her knees. She'd put something in her hair to make it fall into ringlets that framed her face, and though her pose against the doorway was confident, her smile definitely was not.

"Close the door, Miss Granger," ordered Severus as authoritatively as his weak knees would allow.

"Yes, do come in," said Lucius in plummy tones. "Won't you have a seat?"

Hermione's gait revealed no nervousness, though it did showcase surprisingly pert bust, which was thrust forward by the precipitous heels.

"Come now, Lucius," she said. "Surely you had more elaborate plans than having me sit in the pupil's seat."

"I beg your pardon, Hermione," said Lucius, twirling the head of his cane. "I understood you to mean that you would like to see me have fun with Severus, and the pupil's seat, as you put it, is the best seat in the house."

"I don't mean to be demanding," said Hermione, sounding a bit uncertain. "I admit to being a bit out of my element here."

Lucius removed his feet from the desk and stood. "Really, my dear, there's no need to be coy here. You're among friends."

"Ah yes, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine," quoted Severus sliding on to the section of the desk that Lucius's feet had vacated. "Surely there's something you want, Miss Granger. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

Hermione raised her hand and placed it gently on Severus's silk-clad thigh. She looked into his eyes.

"I knew you were clever, and I knew you were powerful. But I never knew you were beautiful, sir.'

Lucius sidled up next to her. "It's a part of him that few are privileged to see. And speaking of Severus's parts, would you prefer to start on his upper half or his lower half?"

"Upper, for the time being," she said, obviously with more confidence than she felt. Yet the set of her jaw was determined as she leaned over and kissed him. It was warm and soft, a little tentative, and it made him want more. As Hermione gently explored his mouth, Severus was vaguely aware of Lucius unbuttoning the cassock up to his thighs and running his tongue over the sensitive area behind his knee. He snaked a finger under the strap of Severus's suspender belt and snapped it against his thigh with a loud thwack.

Both turned to look at Lucius. "Switch?" he asked with a wicked smile.

Severus sighed impatiently. "If you must."

Lucius claimed his mouth with all the power and finesse that Severus had come to expect, the delicate maxillary byplay and soft brushings of tongues. It was lovely, but he was acutely aware that Miss Granger had hiked his cassock up to his waist and was delicately inhaling along the strap of his suspender belt and into his pubis. His hips twitched, as did his penis, and he pulled away from Lucius for a moment.

"Miss Granger! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm smelling you, what do you think I'm doing? It's lovely."

"Do shut up, Severus, you're interrupting my snogging."

"You trouble, Lucius, is that you never learned to improv-aah!"

"I say, Hermione, that's not Quidditch! You can't just dive straight after the Snitch!"

"But it kept pulling towards me," she protested. "It was an act of mercy."

"So my member is to be an object of pity?"

"Shut up, Severus," came the unison reply.

"Well," said Hermione, "if you'd care to switch again, I'd love to see how long you can last without going straight for it."

"It's not a matter of who scores first," said Lucius primly. "It's a matter of tallying the points at the end of the game. And, my dear girl, you have a great deal to learn about Quidditch."

"Pooh," said Hermione, sending a maddening puff of air along the shaft of Severus's penis, "we shall see whose skill with a broom reigns supreme. I must warn you that Muggles use brooms very differently than Wizards do."

Lucius smiled. "I'm becoming more fond of Muggles every day." He took her hand and wrapped her fingers around the shaft of Severus's cock and encouraged her to squeeze gently, then slid his fingertips underneath Severus's scrotum, massaging him delicately.

Severus was finding it more and more difficult to snark coherently. "Granger… skirt… now."

"I believe Severus wishes to see more of you," whispered Lucius.

"Would you be so kind as to assist me?" asked Hermione. "Hook-and-eye closures give me such trouble."

"It would be my pleasure, darling," said Lucius, skimming the tip of his nose along Hermione's neck. He ran his hands along her waist and located the hook at the top of her skirt. Having unfastened it, he ran the zipper slowly down her hip, which allowed her skirt to fall to her ankles.

Severus gasped. "You… knickers…"

"Ten points to Slytherin- I'm not wearing any," replied Hermione, renewing her strokes and adding a quick dart of tongue against his glans. She smiled up at him. "If you object to the brazenness, by all means, leave me to Lucius."

"NO!" shouted Severus, shooting upright. He seized her around the waist, revelling in the soft wool encasing her warm body. "Mine."

Lucius disappeared behind Hermione and did something with his tongue that made her gasp. "For tonight, you belong to both of us. As do you," he said, ducking below to access Severus's tender anatomy. "Tonight, we all belong to each other, and don't either of you forget it."

"How could I?" asked Hermione in a surprisingly normal voice. "I believe you two have some snogging to do. Don't mind me, I won't be twiddling with myself watching. Really."

"Insolent girl," said Severus. "Five points from…"

He never finished his sentence, because Lucius chose that moment to nibble gently at his jugular vein, and his voice left him. Severus noticed Hermione's hungry look, and he slid her onto his lap and began to kiss her neck. She gasped, but soon found part of Lucius to keep her mouth occupied. When Severus applied particularly strong suction with his mouth, he noticed that that Miss Granger would gasp and nibble Lucius's neck, which then encouraged similar action by Lucius.

Curious, he sucked hard on Hermione's neck; she did the same to Lucius, and Lucius nipped Severus's. When he nibbled her ear, she exhaled hot breath into Lucius's, whose moans went straight to Severus's groin. If they had achieved such a pleasant give and take so early in their association, the thought of what the evening would hold made Severus's cock jump. It was a most satisfying cycle, until his aching member decided that something more serious was needed.

Severus cupped Hermione's bare bottom and began to slide her pelvis up his legs and closer to his groin, where the cassock barely covered his genitals. Lucius, however, noticed what was happening and climbed up on the desk, laying his head between their hips.

"I hope you won't mind if I cut in," he said, rubbing his cheekbone against Severus's erection. "All games tonight ought to be for three. With an apologetic kiss atop Severus's penis, Lucius stuck his tongue into the cleft of Hermione's pudenda.

Hermione gave a small shout and twitched.

"Harder?"

"N-no," she said. "I think harder would make me pass out. That was just about right."

"If you're quite finished assessing Miss Granger's sensitivity, you might consider how little your current position affords me," said Snape.

"I'm sorry, Severus, I was momentarily distracted." He encouraged Severus to lie back on his elbows. "Miss Granger, I would be much obliged if you would position your hips over Severus's lovely cock so that I may pay attention to you both? That's it. Now Severus, no jumping the gun and insinuating yourself out of that lovely robe of yours. We must build to that."

"Don't teach your grandmother to knit."

"My grandmother never knitted!" exclaimed Lucius. "She embroidered!"

"Lucius, stop needling Professor Snape and put your tongue to better use," ordered Hermione, rocking her pelvis against Severus's silk-clad erection.

Lucius undid two buttons and swirled his tongue in Severus's belly button in reply, and Severus groaned, partly from Lucius's tickling and partially from Miss Granger's squirming. The squirm turned into a proper grind when Lucius forsook his navel for Miss Granger's clitoris.

She uttered an inarticulate cry and began rubbing her breasts through her jumper.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me," said Lucius, coming up for air with a smile. "As lovely as this garment is, you are overdressed."

"As are both of you," she countered, standing reluctantly. "And Severus has all those buttons."

"So anxious! Very well, my dear. I don't care whose clothing you remove, provided you do it quickly."

"It's only fair that one of you be forced to part with one of your garments, seeing as I've already donated my skirt to the discarded garments pile."

"Whatever will she choose?" asked Severus sarcastically, already pulling the cassock over his head.

"Actually, I was going to make Lucius take off his shirt, but by all means go ahead. That way we're all on nearly the same page."

"Shame on you, Severus, giving her a free one like that," said Lucius, who knelt on the desk, removed the knot from his cravat with experienced fingers, and unfastened his buttons. "You've gone soft."

"Not from my perspective," said Hermione, transfixed.

Her gaze travelled from the toes of Severus's mirror-shined black leather boots, up the silk-clad legs, and finally settling on the black leather suspender belt, which sat low on his hips. Beneath the delicate arch of the belt, Severus's erection jutted proudly, its tip rose-coloured. Hermione extended a hand stroke its length, skin as soft as rose petals.

Lucius slid up behind Severus and kissed his neck, eliciting a soft moan. Hermione stared as Severus arched back into Lucius's arms and ran his hand along Lucius's jaw line. Hermione pressed herself against Severus, hands running uncontrollably over every inch of exposed skin. She sent one hand around Severus's waist, running gently up his warm flank, and her other hand was doing the same to Lucius, whose skin was every bit as warm and smooth as Severus's.

Severus's other hand, meanwhile, was buried fingers deep in the hair at the base of Hermione's skull, kneading the scalp and pulling her head close to his chest. She soon found her mouth gently tugging at his nipples with her teeth and pressing open mouthed kisses over his pectoral muscles.

Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound came from above, and Hermione was horrified to see the poultrygeist hovering in the air over them.

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