The Dark Depths of Desire
A/N: I hope you have all liked the story so far. I wanted to explain the sudden change in Severus's heart when he was present for the birth of Hermione and Remus's baby. If I know anything, it's that nothing can soften and change a man faster than seeing a baby born that he has a connection to…and I feel that Severus would feel fatherly in this situation because of his relationship with Remus.
Please remember that I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or the wizarding world that has been created around them. I am simply having fun with Rowling's creation.
Chapter 7: Settling Down
Hermione woke up the next day in the afternoon. She had slept for a long time as her body recovered from the fast birth. As she opened her eyes she saw her two wizards standing over Aislynn's bassinet, talking in hushed tones at the cooing and gurgling baby.
Hermione smiled as she saw the beautiful sight of these two wizards coming together over one common denominator.
"So, do I get to see her?" Hermione called over their shoulders.
Both of the men turned to see Hermione awake in the bed.
"Oh, Hermione, she's absolutely beautiful!" Remus quickly came over to the bed and sat down next to her to give her a kiss. "I can't believe I had any help in making her."
"It's quite obvious that Aislynn is a result of your handiwork, Remus. She looks just like you." Severus walked over to the other side of Hermione's bed and grabbed her hand in a sign of affection.
Hermione smiled up at Severus and realized that their relationship had changed overnight. She took a deep breath and looked over to Remus that was beaming like the proud father that he was.
"Well, go get her already. I want to hold her in my arms." Hermione teased Remus.
Remus went over the bassinet and pulled Aislynn out with a the care of a new father. Hermione's heart cracked as she heard the small little gurgles and small whines of disturbance that came from the little bundle in his arms.
Remus came over to Hermione's bed and carefully passed Aislynn to her. Hermione watched her baby shake her little balled up fist in the air as she tried to get comfortable in her new surroundings. A tear came to Hermione's eye as she watched the little worry lines disappear from Aislynn's face and peace came over her. It made her feel good to be such a calming presence for her baby. It made her feel connected and at ease.
"She really is amazing, isn't she?" Hermione softly talked to Aislynn as she touched her with soft caresses.
"She is perfect." Severus held Hermione's eyes as he gave her a small smile.
Just then the door to the hospital wing flew open as Harry and Ginny came into the wing carrying flowers, balloons and a giant teddy bear.
"Congratulations, Hermione!" Harry came over to the bed and plopped the giant teddy bear in his arms at the foot of the bed. "Is this her?"
"You know for the future savior of the wizarding world, you sure do ask some rather idiotic questions, Harry." Hermione laughed at him as Ginny came over to the side of the bed and leaned over to give Hermione a side hug.
"She's beautiful, Hermione." Ginny grasped the little fist that waved at being startled from her sleep.
"What's her name?" Harry came over next to Ginny and observed the little girl that looked just like Remus.
"Her name is Aislynn Elizabeth Lupin." Remus proudly announced the name of his new child and smiled at the new couple in the room.
"Oh, that's such a wonderful name, Hermione." Ginny got closer to the bundle in Hermione's arms. "Hello, little Aislynn. I'm your Auntie Ginny…Yes, I am."
"Would you like to hold her?" Hermione lifted Aislynn slightly to hand her off to Ginny.
"Oh, Yes!!" Ginny scooped her up with the expertise that comes from growing up in a family that likes to populate the world on a regular basis. "Hermione, she is so sweet."
Harry smiled at his wife as she took to the baby with ease.
Hermione became distracted from the people around her as she saw Severus start to sneak out of the hospital wing unnoticed.
"Severus!" Hermione stopped him before he got away. "Where are you going?"
"I am in the way here. I will go back to my quarters and prepare your things to be moved into Remus's place now that you are out of danger." Severus turned again and headed for the door.
"Severus, stop. I want you here…if it weren't for you I would have never made it through the labor." Remus watched the exchange between the two of them with pride as he saw a gentleness present that was never there before today.
"Besides, I have an announcement to make. I have decided to stay at Hogwarts. I am going to stay here as the Assistant Librarian and raise Aislynn within these walls."
"Where will you stay, Hermione?" Harry asked her as he tried to understand her new decision.
"I haven't worked that all out yet. But I want Remus to be present in both my and Aislynn's life." Then she looked over to Severus and weakly said, "I also want Severus to see her grow up."
The two of them stayed locked in their gaze for a long time as Harry and Ginny started to question what was going on. Harry asked Remus if something was going on that he didn't know about, and Ginny wanted to know if Hermione was still under the influence of any mood altering potions.
Remus laughed at the confusion and assured them that a lot of things will be changing in the future, but that they were all for the best.
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The next couple of weeks were spent setting up Aislynn's room in Hermione's old room. The three of them decided to all move into Severus's quarters and find a way to make their interconnected relationship work. They started by adding a third room to the dungeons. Severus set up an adjoining room to Hermione's room that would give her easy access to Aislynn at anytime.
Severus remained in his room and moved a few things around to make room for a small crib. As much as he hated to admit to having a heart, he was in love with Aislynn and wanted to have her nearby when he could.
Remus moved his things into both of their rooms and spent his nights alternating between their rooms at night. It was a strange arrangement, but it seemed to work for now.
On the third week, Hermione went to her usual check up with Poppy to check on her healing and on Aislynn's progression. Poppy gave them both a clean bill of health and informed Hermione that she was free to engage in any sexual activity.
That night Hermione was on edge. She had not told Remus that she was able to have sex again, and she was uncertain of her hesitation. As the night progressed, the three of them sat in the living room reading or working on different projects. It was a comfortable silence that they had all become used to.
Aislynn was already asleep in her room when Remus heard the call of Striker pierce into his soul. He became alert and agitated that Striker was calling so late. Severus and Hermione looked at him with confusion.
"Remus, what's wrong?" Severus addressed him in a matter of fact tone.
"I can hear Striker calling his pack. I don't like that. He hasn't called us together like this since Hermione. He must know that she has given birth."
"Do you think he will try anything?" Hermione began to worry as Remus got up to put his robe on.
"I don't know. But don't worry about me. Nothing will keep me from coming back to you two. Besides, I have to see Aislynn grow up and go to Hogwarts…I'm betting she's a Gryffindor." Remus smiled as he hugged Hermione for a minute.
He released her from his grasp and kissed her lips gently before grabbing Severus and doing the same thing.
Not long after Hermione and Severus stood in the living room looking at each other with a loss. They didn't know what to do. Hermione grabbed her book that she was reading and sat back down on the couch as she tried to busy herself with something.
Severus watched her as she bit her bottom lip with her teeth in a nervous state.
"Hermione, I require your assistance in my lab."
Hermione looked up at him like he had just lost his mind. "At this time of night?"
"Yes, please come with me."
"Severus, the one man that we both love, and the father of my child just walked out of here and may not come back. How can you be so callous as to ask me to work in your lab at a time like this?"
"Would you rather sit here and worry the entire time? I simply thought brewing would be a preferable distraction from this night's insufferable waiting."
Hermione softened as she realized that Severus was doing the only thing he understood, the only thing he could control in his world, to distract himself from his own fears.
"We were very close to making a breakthrough the last time we were researching together. We should test your theory about stasis charms for complex potions."
"You're right, Severus, we should." Hermione smiled at him as she got up from the couch and went to go check on Aislynn before following him to his lab.
It didn't take long for the two of them to get back into an agreeable working mode. Hermione would prepare the ingredients as Severus expertly brewed the potion they were working on. At times he would bring up certain aspects of the potion that were still under investigation to engage her in a debate. He was trying to distract her…and it was working.
After an hour they were coming close to finishing the potion they were working on.
"Now that we have only the lacewing flies to add to the potion, which method do you think would be the optimal way to introduce them to the brew?" Severus stopped working and adjusted the heat on the potion to bring it to a slow rolling boil. He turned his attention to Hermione to wait for her interpretation of the potion's final step.
"I believe the best way to introduce it would be to simply dust it over the top of the potion, and then turn the heat off after ten minutes of the low boil." Hermione had more confidence in her voice than she actually felt. She looked at him with a question on her face.
"Normally that would be the proper way to introduce lacewing flies to a potion. But in this instance we are dealing with a very volatile brew. We have already added the dark forest mushrooms; and the mushrooms are apt to have a negative reaction to the lacewing flies, unless they are diluted upon introduction to the potion."
"So if we were to dilute the lacewing flies without changing their chemical properties, we would have to mix them with…?" Hermione stood in front of him as she tried to go through all of her knowledge to find the solution.
"You need to mix in a salt solution. I know it sounds basic. But sometimes the most basic solution is the answer. Then you will slowly introduce it to the potion by stirring it in with slow counterclockwise strokes."
Hermione nodded as she went to the potions stores to find a simple salt solution to mix with the lacewing flies. Once she had the concoction ready she handed it to Severus to put into the potion.
"No, I want you to do it." He handed the mixture back to her and stepped back to allow her to step in front of the potion.
Hermione moved to stand in front of the cauldron and picked up the silver stirring rod that was sitting next to the cauldron. With a nervousness that she had not felt since her days as a student, she slowly started to insert the mixture into the potion. With her right hand she began to stir the potion in a counterclockwise motion.
"No, slower Hermione." Severus stepped up behind her and gently grasped her stirring hand to take over her motions. He guided her hand with the expertise that comes from years of brewing. "Can you feel the difference?"
Hermione closed her eyes as she introduced the last of the mixture into the potion and paid attention to movement that Severus was directing.
"It's more controlled." Hermione's voice was soft and breathy as she continued to close her eyes.
"Correct." Severus looked down over her shoulder to see her eyes closed and her breath hitched as his body brushed against hers lightly. He looked down to her neck as he stopped her stirring and used the hold he had on her hand to remove the stirring rod from the potion. He then wrapped his other arm around her body to lower the flame below the cauldron to let the potion simmer overnight.
Hermione opened her eyes and stood completely still as she felt his full body press against hers as she was pushed into the side of the work table by his motions to finish the potion.
"Hermione," Severus whispered her name in a lowly as his lips descended down towards her neck. "Is this okay?" He then lightly pressed a kiss at the juncture between her neck and collarbone.
Hermione gasped at the sudden shock that ran through her body as her body burned with desire. She was leaned back against him as he continued to lightly adore her neck with a soft caress.
"Tell me now, Hermione. Tell me if you do not want this before I cannot control my actions." Severus placed an open mouthed kiss on her neck before raising his head to search out her eyes for confirmation.
Hermione turned her head towards Severus and caught his eyes with her own. They stayed still for a moment as they looked into each other and came together in an understanding that was between just the two of them.
Hermione brought up one hand and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. She ran her fingers up into his hair and pulled him down to her lips.
With her sign of acceptance Severus turned her body towards his own and grasped her with his arms. He passionately met her kiss with the pent up desire that he was shocked to realize was within him. He became frantic as he tried to consume her with the passion that was controlling him.
Hermione stumbled as he pressed his body against hers. She fell back slightly and bumped the work table with her hip. Their kiss broke up as they both turned to check on the potion that sloshed around in the cauldron on the table.
"Maybe we should move this to someplace better suited for this activity." Severus searched her eyes as he begged her to agree.
With thinking Hermione nodded and started to exit the lab.
When they reached their living quarters in the dungeons, Severus only waited a split second before he descended onto her again. They recklessly tried to keep moving towards Severus's bedroom as they pulled at each other's clothing. They only stopped kissing long enough to remove shirts as their clothing became a trail behind them to lead to their destination.
Once they were inside his room, Severus closed the door and quickly put up a silencing charm to keep from interrupting Aislynn's sleep. It was then that he realized that Hermione may not be ready for this step.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you." Severus tried to get her attention as she continued to kiss and suckle at his chest as she tried to direct him towards the bed. "Hermione, you have to stop for just a second….Oh, God, that feels good! Please, listen to me."
"I'm listening." Hermione absentmindedly told him what she knew he wanted to hear as she worked on unbuckling his trousers as she licked a trail down his chest.
"Hermione, I can't concentrate when you do that."
"That's the point…now help me get these off." Hermione smiled up at him with a mischievous grin.
"Hermione, just tell me if this okay…I mean are you physically able to do this? Did Poppy give you the okay to start…having relations?" Severus had a hard time concentrating on his own words as she succeeded in opening his trousers and grasping his erection in her little hands.
"It's okay, Severus. I was given a clean bill of health…and ready for action." She smiled up at him and caught his eyes.
"In that case," Severus grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to stand in front of him, "let's do this right." He then kissed her passionately and slowly lowered her onto his bed.
For the next couple of hours, Severus exhausted Hermione as he worshipped her completely. He was generous with his affections and he brought her to orgasm over and over. She was lost in her lust for him as would treat her with a loving gentleness; and then he would change his tactics completely and become the animal that she had felt with him the first time they were together.
Hermione fell asleep in his bed with him wrapped around her protectively. She slept with ease as she snuggled into him.
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Early the next morning Hermione woke suddenly at sound of Severus's bedroom door swinging open with force. She jumped up and first looked over to see Severus sitting next to her in the bed with the same expression of confusion at the loud intrusion.
Then they both looked over to the door to see Remus on the ground, covered in blood. Hermione gasped in terror as she ran from the bed, completely naked and went over to Remus. Severus followed her as he kneeled down by Remus and checked to see if he was still breathing.
"Remus, can you hear me? What happened?" Severus was calm and collected; a pillar of strength for Hermione as she ran to the bed to wrap a sheet around her nude body and picked up another blanket for Remus. She watched as Severus ripped the bloodied clothes from Remus's body and assessed the damage.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she saw the deep cuts that oozed with blood. His skin was marred with battle wounds from head to toe. Once Severus was finished removing his clothes, he performed a quick cleaning charm to try and get some of the dirt away from the wounds and clear his skin from the dried blood that hid his injuries from their eyes.
He grabbed the blanket from Hermione and wrapped it around Remus. "Remus, I need you to respond. Can you hear me?"
Remus weakly moved his head as he opened his eyes slightly to take in the scene before him. "I can hear you." He barely whispered his response to Severus.
"Good. I'm going to transfer you to Poppy…you have too many injuries for me to take care of."
Remus slowly smiled, despite the pain that it caused him. "The two of you were naughty while I was away." He began to laugh softly as his throat closed up on him and caused him to start coughing uncontrollably.
"We can't discuss that right now, Remus. You need help." Severus went over to his bedside and grabbed his wand. In a few flicks he dressed himself in his usual black robes. Hermione was surprised as he swished his wand a few more times and she found herself fully clothed as well. He then levitated Remus and began to leave for the hospital wing.
"Hermione, call Poppy in the floo and tell her to be prepared for Remus. Then check on Aislynn before coming to the hospital wing."
Hermione was once again grateful for Severus's ability to remain calm and in control in these moments of panic for her. She followed his instructions as she flooed Poppy and then went to find Aislynn.
She smiled as she found Aislynn lying in her crib looking at the teddy bear that sat in the corner of the crib. She was cooing and gurgling, using her own form of baby talk.
"Good morning, my little one." Hermione pulled her out of the crib and moved her over to the changing table. Once she changed her diaper, she dressed her in a new outfit and performed a quick cleaning charm over her. "We have to go check on your daddy. Let me just get you a bottle, and we are on our way."
Once Hermione was set to go she packed up Aislynn and her diaper bag to make her way to the hospital wing.
When she got the hospital wing she walked into a fury of action. Severus was helping Poppy as the performed charms, administered potions and set bandages with an expertise that she had never seen first hand. She kept her distance as she watched with baited breath, praying that Remus would be okay.
About a half hour later both Poppy and Severus stopped working and began to clean up their work. Hermione was sitting off to the side watching the whole scene, when she noticed they were finished with the major work.
"How is he?" Hermione held Aislynn in her arms as she inquired about Remus's state.
"He is going to be fine. It was precarious there for a while…but Severus was a big help." Poppy smiled at Severus as she looked over Remus one more time before putting all of her supplies away. "He will need a few weeks to heal completely…but I should be able to release him into your care in about four days."
Hermione closed her eyes as one hot tear made its way down her cheek.
"He is going to be fine, Hermione. There is no need to cry." Severus came over to her and kneeled in front of her to wipe away the tear that streaked her face.
"I know. Just seeing him that way frightened me. I realized that I could lose him. He would never see Aislynn grow up, and I would be alone."
"You will never be alone, Hermione. I will never let that happen."
Hermione smiled at him as she realized that the three of them were now connected by something that was stronger than emotions or lust…it was family.
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Later that day Minerva came into the hospital wing to check on Remus. When she saw Severus and Hermione sitting by his bed in anticipation for him to wake she offered to take Aislynn. Hermione gratefully gave over her daughter's care to Minerva to relieve herself on one less stress.
The two of them waited for thirty hours by his side. It was just after lunch the next day when Remus slowly started to wake from his potion-induced slumber.
"I think my hair hurts." Remus weakly joked to get their attention.
Hermione was the first to respond as she rushed over to his bed and plopped herself down on the side. "Remus, you're awake!" In her excitement she hugged him to her.
"Owww," Remus grunted at her sudden attack on his body.
"I'm sorry, Remus, I'm just so excited that you are finally awake." Hermione smiled at him.
"I see you managed to get yourself in all kinds of trouble." Severus smirked in his usual aloof manner as he walked over to Remus's bed with confidence.
"You are not fooling me, Severus. You were probably more distraught than Hermione."
"Hardly, I do believe she has the market cornered on concern and worry."
"Hey, I'm still here guys." Hermione huffed in mock anger at their jest on her behalf.
"So where is my little darling?" Remus looked around the room for any sign of Aislynn.
"Minerva came by and took her. She said she will take care of her until we have you settled in our quarters."
Severus pulled up a chair next to Remus's bed and sat facing the man that he loved with all of his heart. It hurt him to see Remus in such pain; but he could never bring himself to show that kind of emotion…not even in front of Remus.
"What happened, Remus?" Severus asked with concern.
"Striker was angry…just as we predicted. He knew that Hermione had given birth. He gathered the entire pack and called me forth. He claimed that I was under an obligation to present Hermione to him for his own use; now that I was done with her.
"I protested that Hermione was mine and only mine. And, of course, he didn't like that. He challenged me." Remus looked over to Hermione and moved one hand to gently cup her cheek. "I couldn't let him ever get his hands on you. So I had no choice but to accept." Remus took a breath as he continued his tale.
"We fought for a very long time…for awhile I thought for sure I would never make it. But then he said one thing in his anger that made me realize that I had no choice but to win." Remus stared past both of them and focused on the far wall of the hospital wing.
"What did he say, Remus?" Hermione gently pushed him to finish.
"He said, 'I will enjoy the taste of your little girl.' I became violent after that. I couldn't even recognize my own actions. I just knew that he would never be able to touch her.
"I was finally able to pin him to the ground and I finished it. He will never bother us again. The pack watching cheered as they named me the new leader. I was barely able to take in all that was happening as the blood draining from my body started to make me weak. I passed out on the ground in the forest.
"When I came to the next morning, I had just enough strength to apparate back to the school. When I entered into Severus's room I blacked out." Remus refocused his gaze on Severus. "And that's when you found me."
"Well that is one way to complete Albus's mission. Unorthodox, though it may be." Severus cut the silence in the room with his comment.
Remus laughed at his unusual way of breaking the tension. "You would see it that way, wouldn't you, Severus."
"You are safe, and out of danger in the future. That is all that matters now." Severus looked at his lover intently.
Remus smiled at him and took a deep breath before he changed the subject. "The two of you are not getting away that easily from your actions last night." Remus slyly looked over to Hermione as her cheeks started to blush. "Imagine my surprise, when I come home to find my two lovers naked and in bed together."
"Remus, we didn't mean to do anything to hurt you, it just…" Hermione started to explain.
"There is no need to explain, Hermione. Look at him. He's happy about it." Severus raised one eyebrow toward his mate as he goaded him on.
"I told you from the beginning that I can't help it, I'm selfish. I want the both of you. If I can have you both at the same time…then all the better." Remus pleaded with Hermione as he explained his position.
"You mean all three of us, at the same time?" Hermione was still trying to process the technicalities of it all. Not to mention, what would people think?
"Is there a problem with that, Hermione?" Severus looked at her as he asked the question.
"Well, I…" She thought for awhile as she realized that what they were proposing was exactly what her heart desired. "I guess not. But what will others think?"
"It is fairly common in the wizarding world for three people to be in a committed relationship. Like I told you before, most wizards are bisexual. Usually only muggleborns or halfbloods have a hard time accepting the union at first." Remus explained to her that everyone would learn to accept their situation once they saw the way they made each other happy.
"So, then we are an item? The three of us?" Hermione looked at both of them for confirmation.
"We're more than that, Hermione," Severus looked directly at her, "we're bonded." He then looked over to Remus, "We're family."
Remus smiled at Severus for making the final step to accepting this new life with Hermione in it. He never knew he could have so much love for two people in one lifetime. And now he had a lifetime to continue to explore it.
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A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this story. I only have the epilogue left to write for this story. I have truly loved receiving all of your reviews. Some of you had great advice that helped me to construct events as I hit a roadblock in my creativity. Thanks for reading!!