Chapter title from "Hold the Line" by Toto

"You'll find the shame is like the pain— you'll only feel it once."

Their weekday movie echoed through the basement room— Rhiannon's selection this time. She liked to choose sexy dramas, and tonight it was Dangerous Liaisons. Colleen would usually choose romantic comedies— almost always something she had seen multiple times before. She said she liked the comfort she found in old favorites. Sirius chose action, of course. His most recent selection had been Top Gun, and he directed the enchanted CD player upstairs to play "Danger Zone" multiple times a day. Lucky for him, Severus was at the school more often than not now that it was back in session, and he didn't have to suffer through Sirius's rock n' roll songs or their Muggle movie nights in the basement.

For her part, Rhiannon escaped Hogwarts as soon as the moment would allow each day. The Carrows had cast a suffocating darkness over the school after only a week. They'd insisted the students walk in silent formation between classes. Meals were pre-portioned and stripped of any sensual pleasure, now designed to meet minimum nutrition standards and quite utilitarian in their presentation. It was all part of the Carrows' focus on discipline, entrusted to them by the Dark Lord. Severus could have overridden the new measures, of course, but he didn't really have a convincing reason to do so. He had to choose his battles wisely, and based on the Carrows' lesson plans, he would need to choose the ones that involved sparing the students from pain when possible. Of course all the new restrictions ultimately reflected on Severus, in the students' eyes, which also impacted their views on Rhiannon. All the pair could do was segment and try to find happiness at home. Because at Hogwarts, there was none to be found.

Ben was tucked into bed, no doubt filled with excitement about turning five tomorrow. Tonks was in the throes of first trimester exhaustion and queasiness, so Remus often whisked her upstairs to the top floor after dinner to cuddle and care for her. Movie nights were usually a threesome— though a mostly platonic one. Sometimes they would lay in a pile on the oversized sofa with Colleen sandwiched in the middle, wrapped in her husband's arms with her own wrapped around the witch. Rhiannon would let her arm lounge on Sirius's lower leg in this position, sometimes stroking his calf muscle affectionately. It was harmless and innocent enough, but it was all designed, in Rhiannon's mind, to build their comfort level with one another and make the end game inevitable.

Tonight, Rhiannon sat at the far end of the sofa with Colleen at the other. Sirius was seated on the floor with his head between his wife's legs, enjoying a massage. He'd been stressed at dinner this evening, having seen Hermione Granger's name listed in the Prophet as a Muggleborn wanted for interrogation. Sirius still saw himself as guardian to Harry and his friends after their time together at Grimmauld Place, and his helplessness ate away at him. He knew they were only camping at his old house temporarily, and his mind raced with worry over where they would end up next. Colleen tried to ease his strain as much as she could, her fingers buried in his luxurious brown curls, raking them and twisting them around her fingers as she massaged his head.

Rhiannon loved Sirius's hair. She could tell Colleen was obsessed with it too. It truly was like the hair of a god, and Sirius would make a point of sweeping the mahogany curls down a lover's body so she could experience its soft caress. Colleen's long, red-tinged strands were gorgeous too of course. And Severus's dark ones. He'd let it grow longer, and the water in the house from the seaside lochs agreed with his latest shampoo creation so that it fell in enviable raven waves. Rhiannon longed to dive in the center of their tangled pool of hair and limbs and lips. And soon she would.

After Severus's cavalier suggestion that day at the beach, she'd made it her goal to have them all thoroughly seduced by her birthday. She had Colleen and Severus onboard— Severus having come to the conclusion naturally after weeks of close contact in potion brewing sessions. He was now tantalized by erotic fantasies of his smart, capable, and angelically beautiful Muggle assistant.

Rhiannon had slipped upstairs to their bedroom the day before fall term began and had caught him stroking his length with desperate moans. Colleen had entered the downstairs bathroom to stock the medicine cabinet with new potions just a few minutes earlier, so Rhiannon knew they had been working together. The witch had grinned victoriously as she laid on the bed and watched her husband bring himself to satisfaction, allowing herself to tap into his thoughts of Colleen on her knees, her face being ravaged by Severus's thick cock, her curls held tight in his unrelenting fist.

"Get out of my mind and get over here, whore," he'd muttered to Rhiannon, who had shaken her head deviously.

"Nope, this is all you and Colleen," she'd replied, raising her head on one elbow to take in a better view of her husband's show. "If you want it truly satisfied, you'll have to break over and ask her."

Severus had grunted in response and tightened his grip.

"Do you think she'll let you shag her?" Rhiannon had continued to tease, reveling in whipping his desire into a frenzy.

"She said she wants us all, so I suppose so," he'd murmured in response. "Though I don't understand why."

"Severus Snape," Rhiannon had chided him. "I've told you a million times that you turn women into a puddle. I'm sure Colleen is no exception. Do you know how many females at the school dream of you deflowering them once we discuss losing one's virginity in sex ed? I can give you names if you'd like."

"Absolutely not," he'd answered gruffly, closing his eyes and throwing his head back in order to shut off the unwelcome images she'd conjured and replace them instead with the radiant red-haired Muggle.

And with that, Severus had formally agreed to September 18th, provided Rhiannon could convince Sirius. Colleen had made it quite clear to both Snapes that she was interested in exploration, but Sirius was still a holdout. Rhiannon understood why. Part of Sirius's strength was his confidence, and that had been wounded when Severus had emerged the victor in their love triangle. Sirius depended on Colleen so much, and the thought of losing her heart probably terrified him. Rhiannon wished Sirius shared the Snapes' gift of intuition or Legilimency, then he would know he had nothing to worry about. Colleen had her heart with Sirius under lock and key. This was about her pleasure and her power— all of theirs— ready to grow and spiral and explode into the universe.

The next morning found Severus still fast asleep, completely wiped out from his full week at the castle helm. Remus was in the library helping Ben with his alphabet, and Colleen and Tonks were in full Hufflepuff mode baking cupcakes and making decorations for Ben's birthday celebration. Rhiannon and Sirius enjoyed breakfast in the dining room, perusing the Daily Prophet over eggs and danishes.

"Last year I dressed as a Muggle magician for Ben's party," Sirius reminisced, taking a slurp of his coffee. "He had all of his friends from nursery school, and all of his family. Now he's stuck with some boring dinner with a bunch of adults. This is no life for a child."

Rhiannon placed her hand over his forearm and rubbed it gently. "I never had a birthday party with friends growing up, and I turned out fine," she offered. "You couldn't exactly invite kindergartners to a brothel, now could you?"

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, no birthday parties for me either. I was lucky if my parents even remembered to say anything. Of course Regulus had every Slytherin family in Great Britain over for his. It was a splendid opportunity to perfect my jinxing abilities."

"I bet that was fun," Rhiannon said with a grin. "I'm glad I didn't know you as a kid. You would have gotten me in so much trouble."

"You have no idea," Sirius returned, downing the rest of his coffee with a gulp. "Of course I was nearly graduated by the time you were born, little girl."

"I know. I was just over Ben's age when you went to Azkaban. So bizarre to think about, huh? You're pretty hot for an old man."

"I feel like an old man," he groaned. "Sitting around here with my paper and my coffee and tea all day."

Rhiannon jumped up, smoothing her thin, wispy white dress. It was her favorite, with long bell sleeves, in which she would always have silly fantasies of being a faerie in the woods. Today seemed like just as good a day as any to pretend.

"Let's get out of here," she suggested, holding her hand out for his. "Remember all those travels we planned to take together and never got the chance? Let's have an adventure. Colleen and Tonks have the party preparation more than covered."

"Are we apparating to Australia, India, or Egypt?" Sirius asked her wryly. Rhiannon couldn't believe he remembered that. He was so damn romantic.

Her eyes gleamed and she felt her stomach skip delightfully. "We could try. I think that breaks the distance limitations though. But there are plenty of lochs and cliffs and woods to explore around here. We've barely gotten started."

Sirius glanced toward the kitchen hesitantly.

"Come on," Rhiannon pleaded with a pout. "Let the Hufflepuffs nest. This Thunderbird and her Gryffindor best friend are itching to run."

"Best friend?" Sirius repeated with an amused smile, but he finally returned her grasp, his long fingers nearly covering her dainty hand.

"Of course. We understand each other, Sirius Black. And I did save your life."

He rolled his blue-gray eyes as he followed her to the back door. "Are you going to use that one every time you want something?"

"Most assuredly," Rhiannon replied. "Hey, Colleen...Tonks! Sirius and I are going on a hike!"

"Have fun and be careful!" Colleen called back, and Tonks gave a goodbye muffled by chewing, evidently sampling some of the party refreshments a bit early.

Rhiannon slipped outside the door, dragging Sirius with her along their perfectly landscaped backyard. The sun was now high over the sea loch, casting a beautiful shimmer as the gulls sang and played along the shore.

"We're so lucky to live here," she mused, hooking her arm through his. She felt no ill effects at their close proximity and noted that she hadn't in quite awhile. Severus must have lightened her restrictions a little where Sirius was concerned. Her husband couldn't very well keep her locked down entirely now that she'd seen the depths of his lust for Colleen. Severus was tough, but he was fair and not one for hypocrisy.

"Yes, I found us a nice place, didn't I?" Sirius agreed, never one to miss an opportunity for self-praise.

"So modest, Padfoot." Rhiannon gave his arm a squeeze and laid her head against his bicep, surprised at how strong he'd gotten. She'd seen it of course, since it was summertime and he liked showing off, but feeling it was different. She imagined he probably lifted Colleen up and held her in place while he ravished her.

"Speaking of Padfoot, Colleen told me awhile back you were studying to be an Animagus. How's that coming along?" asked Sirius.

They were up in the cliffs now, surrounded by old yews and birches. Squirrels and rabbits rustled in the branches, and birds sang wildly in the early afternoon sun.

"I finished it earlier this year, actually," Rhiannon said proudly. "Had to take some leave right after the winter holidays long enough to hold the mandrake leaf in my mouth. That sucked. I was lucky I had Severus to give me infusions so I didn't have to chew much and risk swallowing it. How ever did you and the other boys manage it?"

"We were all very skilled with our tongues," Sirius remarked lightly.

"Of course," she laughed. "Why did I even ask?"

"So let's see it!" Sirius said excitedly, turning to face her.

"I can't," Rhiannon said shyly. "Not with the tree canopy. I'm too big."

Sirius's eyes widened. "You? Really? You're like a little pixie." He encircled her waist with his hands to make his point.

Rhiannon shook her head. "Not as an Animagus. I'm massive. And quite a spectacle. I went far into the highlands when I was practicing at Hogwarts. I would be afraid to do it here, with the village so close."

"Hmm," Sirius said, disappointed. "I was hoping we could run together."

"Well, I don't run, I fly," she corrected him. "But you're still welcome to run. I know you need to. It's important to get your energy out and let your instincts take over."

Sirius nodded with a sigh. "I haven't transformed since we moved. Since I got married, really. You know I can't do it in front of Colleen, and I usually just run in human form on the beach, in case she's watching from a window."

They resumed their walk along the narrow woodland path, linking arms once again.

"Sirius, she's your wife. I'm sure she'd be more open to it now. It's part of you. You should share it with her. She's a lot more open than she used to be. You know before she was just scared of seeing herself as a woman who sleeps with beasts," Rhiannon whispered scandalously.

"Well, she did rather like the after-effects the few times I did transform," he admitted. "It does make for some wild sex when you first change back to a human."

"I'm jealous," Rhiannon teased. "I don't think I ever got to experience that."

"We played a few Padfoot games," Sirius reminded her with a chuckle.

"But you didn't transform first. It was all kink and word play. Maybe...you could run as Padfoot for a few hours on my birthday..."

Sirius stopped abruptly again. "And how would that affect you?"

Rhiannon licked her lips and grasped both her hands in his. "Colleen and Severus are granting my birthday wish. All we need is you."

"Oh, gods," Sirius groaned.

"Colleen hasn't mentioned it?"

"No, she has. Not in such definite terms. But she's made it known that she wants some kind of experience with the four of us together."

"And you? What do you want?" Rhiannon closed the distance between them, her toes touching his, her eyes gazing upward.

Sirius sighed again. "She's my wife, Rhiannon. I can't just turn her over to your husband. Your husband who stole you from me, may I remind you. We were engaged. It wasn't just you deciding to date someone else."

Rhiannon refused to go down this road of grudges and regrets and pain. "You didn't answer my question. I asked you what you want."

Sirius was just as insistent. "I want to know that my wife loves me and won't leave me. I'd die without her, Rhiannon."

"And that's almost exactly what she said to me about you," Rhiannon declared triumphantly. "Everyone feels the same here, Sirius. Well, about our marriages, at least. But how do you feel about...the physical aspects?"

She saw his mouth twitch a bit as he gazed off into the woods behind her. They were still within inches of each other, and Rhiannon ran her hand softly along the front of his white t-shirt, feeling his turns of muscle beneath.

"I don't dream about Azkaban since Colleen and Severus brewed me that potion," he finally began. "But I do dream. Mostly about you and Colleen together. Naked, in a forest like this one. Kissing. Fondling each other. You usually have flowers in your hair. If I didn't know better, I would think you had a hand in brewing that stuff."

Rhiannon immediately felt her panties become damp. If she had the full permission of everyone, she would mount Sirius right here on the warm summer ground, like the beasts they were.

"So let it become real," she encouraged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She let her hand drift into his majestic tresses. "My birthday. Remus and Tonks will take Ben to Andromeda and Ted's. I know her parents don't like Remus very much, but I'm sure he'd rather be there than accidentally stumble upon our debauchery. And it's just one night, Sirius. You're not committing to anything beyond that. Just one night, to see where these feelings take us."

Rhiannon was careful not to make any moves beyond their simple embrace. She was committed to keeping this honest and open, with no trace of betrayal or guilt. She watched Sirius's face move through his different emotions, all written in its well-defined, celestial angles. Only days remained until she could kiss him again, and she was breathless with anticipation.

"I don't know if I can watch your husband with my wife," Sirius finally mumbled, his eyes falling to the forest floor.

"Why?" Rhiannon challenged. "He'll watch you with his."

"He will, Rhiannon? Snape said that, that he would watch while I ruin you with my cock? After nearly two years without you?"

Rhiannon frowned, but her lower belly was rushing at his dirty words. "Well, no, not quite like that. But he wants all three of us to pleasure Colleen. I know that for a fact."

Sirius grumbled. "Of course he does."

"And my husband is a fair man," Rhiannon continued. "If he takes, he will also give in return. If you want me, you'll have me. And I know he wants her."

"Merlin's pants, Rhiannon!" Sirius broke free of her and stalked swiftly down the path. "How are you going to tell me Snape wants my wife and expect me to be okay with that?"

"Well, don't you want his?"

Sirius found the nearest tree trunk and rested his head against it, looking pained. As many wild tales as Rhiannon had heard of his Marauders days, she truly hadn't expected him to be the one holding back in all this. Introverted, insecure Severus— fearful, inexperienced Colleen. They were both in, yet notorious Hogwarts playboy Sirius Black had true reservations. It was shocking, yet admirable. Rhiannon loved seeing him so in love.

"I will always care about you," Sirius began solemnly. "And be grateful to you, for giving me my life. And of course, you're exquisite. You could have your pick of almost any man or woman on the planet. So yes, I want you. And my cock loves the idea of watching you with my wife. And yes, in some depraved way I would probably get off watching your husband fuck you. But I can't lose my wife to your husband."

"You won't," Rhiannon promised. "The terms are yours to negotiate just as much as everyone else's. If you have limits, just state them. It's as simple as that, Sirius. But you have to remember this is about our magic, too. Every act of pleasure your wife experiences increases her strength. And not just her. All of us."

"You know I go along for the ride with that stuff, but I don't necessarily buy it all," Sirius reminded her with a laugh. "Sounds like an awfully convenient line for a nymph with a very insatiable appetite."

"A nymph whose birthday is coming up, and who saved your life," Rhiannon replied. "Told you I would keep using that one. Now enough talk. Padfoot wants to chase me."

She kicked off her shoes and took off through the trees as fast as her feet would carry her, so fast it felt like she was barely touching the ground. She soon heard a rough bark behind her, and her face broke into a grin. His panting came closer, riding atop a steady beat of his paws pounding into the earth. The trees opened into a clearing just as he was closing in on her. Rhiannon took a deep breath and leapt into the air, feeling the wind rush beneath her giant white wings and lift her up above the meadow, higher and higher, until she could see the silver sparkle of the sea loch and its rhythmic waves lapping on the smooth gray sand.

Padfoot was below her, running in circles, barking ecstatically, occasionally raising up on his hind legs. She felt an electricity start to burn in her breast and spread outward as she picked up speed. The sharp spurts of light flowed through the golden flecked tips of her wings and filled the sky with turquoise and pink, just before clouds roared in behind her and a clap of thunder shook the ground below. This was what she was meant for. It was the ultimate euphoria, and she felt like her giant Thunderbird body would burst with its power.

Rhiannon felt the deep urge to fly to Malfoy Manor and send a bolt to torch the place to the ground. She was deliriously high with the thought of destroying her father, but that high was soon haunted by the realization that she couldn't. She could wreak havoc, but never destroy. Only Harry could. As omnipotent as she felt, she, and everyone she held most dear, were merely supporting characters as the hero weaved his way toward his destiny.

With that stark realization Rhiannon began her descent, a billowing storm left in her wake. She transformed back into a witch the moment her talons touched the ground, and Padfoot met her with a giant push, sending her back into what was quickly becoming mud in the torrents that fell from the sky. He was panting above her, eyes glowing with admiration and excitement. Rhiannon stroked his back with a smile.

"I've missed you," she whispered, tears starting to form behind her eyes. She hoped he would dismiss them as raindrops. Whatever he thought they were, he licked them away.

"Come on," Rhiannon sniffed. "Let's go find a place to ride out the storm."

Padfoot allowed her to stand, and they tore back through the woods, drenched and mud covered and perfectly one with the earth for a few glorious minutes. They stopped when they reached the weathered gray wood of the old boathouse on their property, now teeming with green vines and bright red flowers thanks to Sirius and Colleen's green thumbs and labors of love. Sirius stood on his hind legs and seamlessly became his wizard form, grabbing Rhiannon's hand and pulling her inside. They had a perfect view of the waves dancing in the storm winds through the old rugged entry gate. Rhiannon was filled once again with gratitude for this beautiful home they had found.

Sirius pushed her against the wall, this time as a wizard, not an Animagus. And this time he wiped her tears with gentle thumbs instead of a rough and playful tongue.

"Hey," he said softly. "Let's give this a shot."