Master and the Wolf

Rules Challenges Gallery Story Archive Links Amazon.com - The World of Harry Potter Amazon.co.uk - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2 Disc Special Edition) [2007]

Title: Never Alone Author: Draconn Malfoy Feedback: lionora@hotmail.com Summary: Severus and Remus perform a special bond to pull Lucius’s soul back to his body after the Dementor’s Kiss. After this, Remus is slowly wasting away. Lucius and Severus decide to prevent his eventual death. Challenge: 86) Knowing what it’s like to lose a mate, Lupin agrees to help save Snape’s lover, Lucius Malfoy. He is only able to achieve this by allowing himself to be bound to both men. At first, no one is very happy with the arrangement, but that’s before long-hidden secrets come to light. Rating: PG-13 Warnings: Multiple partners, mpreg (and slash. But if you can’t stand slash, why’re you on this site?) * Never Alone *** Part One: To Bond or Not to Bond * "Severus?" asked a quiet voice. The Potions Master turned rapidly on his heels. "Yes, Lupin?" he asked snappishly, watching the werewolf intently. "Albus sent me," Lupin said, still hesitant. "He thought that you might need some company." "I need nothing," Severus replied bitterly. "I need nothing, and nobody. I’m just fine." "Albus thought something else," the werewolf remarked, raising an eyebrow. "And he’s right more often than not." "Well, now he is wrong," the Slytherin said, wanting to get the werewolf out of his quarters. "I don’t need anybody’s company. Definitely not yours." Lupin’s golden eyes flashed with anger. He opened his mouth to reply, but then froze, his mouth still half open. He was staring at something behind Severus. Severus turned around and saw what Lupin was staring at. In the doorway to the next room stood a man. He was wearing black robes that hang loosely on his thin body. His skin was pale and his face expressionless. The only thing that looked well in him was the platinum blonde hair that fell down to his midback, seemingly freshly combed. His eyes, however, merely looked in the air in front of him, blank and lifeless. "Is - is that -" Lupin managed to say, then gasped again. "Lucius Malfoy?" Severus finished for him, sighing in quiet defeat. "Yes, he is." He walked to the blonde man and took his hand. "Now, Lucius, let’s get back to the living room," he said, slowly and clearly, like one would speak to a little child. Over his shoulder he said, "Come on. You saw him already, and I guess you won’t leave until you get the answers you’ll obviously be demanding." "Oh, definitely," Lupin said, seemingly getting back to his senses. He walked to the small living room right on Severus’s heels. There he sat on the couch Severus showed him, and the Potions Master himself sat opposite to him, Lucius next to him. For a moment, they were both quiet. Then Lupin decided to break the silence. "They gave him the Kiss," he said, examining the blonde man with the disturbingly sharp golden eyes. Severus didn’t say anything for a reply, just sighed and nodded. He let his fingers intertwine with Lucius’s and squeezed the hand slightly, knowing all too well that Lucius would not squeeze back. "So why’s he here, then?" the werewolf questioned further. "Why he’s not in Azkaban?" "They pardoned him," Severus said quietly. "It was no use to keep him there after the Kiss. Narcissa didn’t want anything to do with a soulless man - she’s only interested in his will, which he’s no longer able to change against her. So, I got to take care of him." "Oh, Severus," Lupin sighed. There was no pity in his voice. It was just a resigned sigh, filled with a slight sense of equality and understanding. Then, after a slight moment, he added, "You loved him... Didn’t you?" "Yes, I did," Severus admitted. "And I still do - it doesn’t matter that he can’t love me back anymore. He wasn’t that bad a man, you know - not evil by any means." "Not evil?" Lupin echoed, sounding vaguely amused. "Oh, so he’s not really the Dark Lord’s right-hand man - he’s really a little flower girl, right?" Severus gave him a sharp glare. Then he said, just as quietly as before, "Lupin... If I told you that he was telling the truth about being under Imperiatus all those years ago... Would you believe me?" "He was?" the light brunette man asked, now surprised more than anything. "Well, well... That explains quite a lot of things, actually." "Oh?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Such as?" "Oh, it doesn’t matter." Lupin eyed Lucius again, then asked, "I take it there isn’t any way to... ah... bring him back, is there?" "Well... Actually, there is," Severus said, a bit hesitant. "But, it’s impossible." "Really?" Lupin asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why so?" "Because the only way to bring him back is to create a bond," Severus said softly, allowing his fingers to gently stroke the unmoving hand of his former lover’s. "A bond between him and someone else. But... only one other participant isn’t enough to pull his soul back; the bond wouldn’t be strong enough. And there’s nobody who would voluntarily enter a bond with me and Lucius, of all the people, as the other participants." "I would do that." Severus’s eyes snapped back to him. "You would?" he asked, disbelieving. "Of course. I know what it is like to lose a mate. I don’t wish that fate to anyone." He raised an eyebrow, adding, "Not even to you." "You would do it," Severus whispered, still not really believing what he was hearing. "You really would allow yourself to be bonded to us both." "I would." Lupin nodded slowly, then continued, "I take it the bond doesn’t need to be... ah... completed in order to pull him back?" "No," Severus confirmed. "The mere creating of it is enough. But... are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I’d want nothing as much as have Lucius back, but are you absolutely sure? You know what it would mean. You’d need to be near to us both for the rest of your life." "I’m aware of that," the werewolf said, and shrugged. "It isn’t like I planned to live very long anyway." Severus gave him a sharp glance. "You aren’t planning suicide, are you?" he asked suspiciously. "I don’t need to," the other man replied. "If I live in an uncompleted bond, sooner or later I’ll die. You know that. Even though a simple touch every now and then is enough to keep me alive, the wolf will eventually tear itself apart from an uncompleted bond. In the process, it’ll drain me." "Why would you do this, then?" the Slytherin asked, a bit confused. Why’d Lupin sacrifice that much? "Everybody would be happy then. Don’t you see? You could be together with Lucius. Only you two, without me. And I, I could be with Sirius. You wouldn’t lose a mate, I would get back mine." Severus hesitated for a moment. This was really much to ask from Lupin. What if the werewolf would later regret dooming himself to eventual death? And what would the others say about it? Then he glanced at Lucius. He saw the silver, bottomless eyes that were empty of all life, the beautiful face that no longer expressed any feelings, the rosy lips that would never again voice promises of love to him. "Okay," he said, suddenly making up his mind. "We’ll do it." * Severus voiced the incantation clearly, Lupin’s clear tenor echoing his deep baritone. They both were holding one of Lucius’s unmoving form’s hands in their one hand and each other with the other hand. At last, they came to the last word. There was a flash of light that forced them to close their eyes for a moment. Then there was a sudden wave of power that flung them all backwards to the floor, apart from each other. As Severus at last got back to his feet, he eyed Lucius hesitantly. He assumed that the spell had worked, but there were no signs of waking in the blonde man. He just lay there, unmoving, and with a sinking heart Severus thought that they had dismanaged. Then, suddenly, there was a little movement. Lucius’s hand moved an inch, another. Then he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, holding his head. He was back. "Lucius," Severus whispered, feeling like it wouldn’t do to speak aloud. The blonde’s eyes rose to him. Painfully slowly, Lucius stood, then walked in front of Severus. Then he stopped there, watching intently the dark-haired man. Severus looked back. Unnoticed by both men, Lupin had slipped away from the room, leaving them alone. Therefore, they both just stood there, watching each other. "Severus," Lucius said, his voice raspy. "I - I remember..." He shook his head like in an attempt to clear his mind, then said softly, "I remember Azkaban." "You’re not in Azkaban anymore, love," Severus said quietly, feeling suddenly very nervous in front of his old lover. "You’re pardoned, Lucius. You’re free." "W-what?" the blonde man stammered, obviously taking a great effort to comprehend his words. "Why’d they let me free?" "Because you were already punished," Severus said quietly. "They’d given you the Dementor’s Kiss." The taller man blinked in surprise. "The Kiss?" he repeated. "Yes, I remember something like that... But... How am I sane now, then? How I’m in my body?" "A bond powerful enough can pull the soul back to the body," the dark-haired man explained, his eyes cast down to the floor. "An unbreakable bond." "You did that?" Lucius asked in amazement, his voice still a bit harsh from the time it’d been unused. He watched Severus intently with his stormy grey eyes. "Well..." Severus hesitated at first, then said, "It wasn’t me alone, to be honest. Remus Lupin, also, allowed himself to be bonded with you - and me. Otherwise, the bond wouldn’t have been strong enough." If Lucius had been surprised before, now he was far beyond that. "Remus Lupin?" he repeated, sounding shocked. "Why’d he ever do that?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You don’t have anything going with him... Do you?" he asked. "No! No, Lucius," Severus hastied to say. "If I was cheating on you, do you seriously think I’d bring you back to this world?" Then he sighed deep. "Lupin has decided to die," he said blankly. "After Black died, he’s had no purpose in his life. This was a perfect occasion for him - he could both save me from the bitter fate of losing a lover, and die without committing a suicide. An uncompleted bond will eventually drain a person, you know." "Oh." Lucius nodded slowly. "I understand... At least I think I do." Severus didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled Lucius into a tight embrace, pressing his face against the taller man’ shoulder. Lucius embraced him back, resting his chin on top of Severus’s head. "I love you," Lucius whispered, stroking his back gently. "I love you, too," Severus murmured back. They both felt full and content on each other’s arms. The bond that now tied them together made their love even stronger, allowing them to feel each other’s presence even better than they’d used to. Still, neither could get rid of the nagging feeling that someone was missing from their bond. Some particular Remus Lupin. *** Part Two: Saving Him * Time passed quickly. After being informed of the situation, Dumbledore allowed both Lucius and Remus to stay at Hogwarts, in Severus’s quarters - not only because of their bond, but because Lucius, now free of the Imperiatus, was a wanted price to any Death Eater around. To Lucius and Severus’s disappointment, Narcissa refused signing the divorce papers. She didn’t want to even meet Lucius, but she still didn’t want a divorce, either - she probably figured she’d get more of the Malfoy fortune as Lucius’s wife. But, the men lived with it, secretly hoping that Narcissa would get killed in the War, which was getting even more heated every day. While everyone other around seemed to be in hurry, preparing and practising and planning, Remus was unusually quiet. He was now in civil terms with both Slytherins he’d been bonded to. They could even be called friends. They lived in the same quarters - Severus and Lucius in one bedroom, Remus in another - they ate together, they worked together (other than Severus’s teaching work, of course), and every now and then, Remus would touch either one’s hand to strengthen the bond. This far, it had seemed to be enough, and the werewolf had been leading at least a relatively happy lifestyle. Now, it looked like this wasn’t enough anymore. The werewolf had become even paler than before. He was getting thin, and many times they could talk to him several minutes before they noticed that he wasn’t listening. It wasn’t even that he wasn’t interested, or he wanted to be rude. No, he simply couldn’t concentrate on anything properly anymore. He was having nightmares, too - some very disturbing ones, from which he woke up screaming. He never told the other two men what the nightmares were about. One evening, as Remus was yet again in the library of Hogwarts to do some research for the Order, the two Slytherins sat on a couch. They were discussing the changes happening in Remus, and whether they could help him. "If he doesn’t want to live, we can do next to nothing to help him," Severus said quietly. "Saving him would require at first completing the bond and then maintaining it, both of us. If he doesn’t want it, it’d be nothing but a rape. And I don’t think that anything could justify a regular gang rape, not even keeping him alive." "You’re right," Lucius said just as quietly. "The only way we could keep him alive is if we somehow managed to convince him that he’d be better off living." "And how do you think we could accomplish that?" Severus snorted. "His heart belongs to Black, has always belonged. If he dies now, the wolf will pull him to Black in the afterlife, since Black was the last person he was in a completed bond with. If he slept with us, however, that bond would be broken and he’d lose his change to cling on Black." The blonde nodded slowly. They both knew that there was no way to make Remus want to lose his former lover. Still, they both hoped that there were, for the simple reason that they didn’t want him to die. They didn’t know how much of it was because of the bond and how much was because of their true feelings. They did know, however, that there were some feelings even outside the limits and power of the bond that connected them to the small greying brunette. Those feelings made them unable to just let go of Remus and watch him die. They sat in silence, both thinking, until Remus returned from the library an hour and a half later. * Lucius glanced disapprovingly at the pile of various objects in front of him. After several owls, firecalls, and threatings of contacting the Ministry, Narcissa had at last sent some of his things to Hogwarts. Of course, this had taken a full month. Many times he’d been ready to go and fetch them himself, but Severus - and, a bit surprisingly, Remus - had always told him that he wasn’t going to go anywhere where the Death Eaters might get at him. And Narcissa was a genuine Death Eater, after all - although she knew nothing about the Imperius curse casted upon her husband. The reason why Lucius was feeling disapproving, however, wasn’t because of the objects but because of the absence of a certain object. He threw a couple of things carelessly aside in search of the most dear thing he’d asked from Narcissa. Of course he hadn’t said it was treasurable to him, otherwise, she’d most probably "forgotten" it just to taunt him. But still, he couldn’t find it anywhere, and began to secretly worry that Narcissa had indeed guessed just what it meant to him. It was just a simple book, covered with dark grey silk. To the outside, it looked like a journal. Lucius’s initials were indeed marked on the cover with silver letters, and it was charmed so that only the Lord of Malfoy himself could open it. He, and a certain person. Severus, to be exact. The truth was that the book was nothing like a journal. It was a sketch book, in which both Lucius and Severus had drawn pictures of each other, and all things they held dear. Lucius had to admit that Severus’s drawings were a lot better than his - he’d himself always been more to painting. But, as they’d been both sketching to it ever since their sixth year, when Severus had given it to him on their anniversary, accompanied by the first drawing, it included about all of his most treasured memories. So, it had a great value to him. And he couldn’t find it anywhere. Lucius threw aside yet a new cloak, hoping to find the sketch book under it. To his great surprise, he found a little book he’d not seen before. On the cover there was written, ‘Narcissa Malfoy." Curious, and definitely not regretful about spying on his annoying wife, he opened the book, starting to glance through it. At last his eyes stopped on one particular entry. It was written on the first of November 1981. "Today, my cousin was dragged to Azkaban. Stupid brat, he should have been more careful. At least he could have left a good corpse of Pettigrew so I could be sure that little rodent is wiped off the face of Earth." "It’s also a pity that there’s no one to warm my bed now. Lucius is preparing the ‘evidences’ as of us being under the Imperiatus, and that requires him to be almost all the time in the Ministry. I can’t help but miss those long, passionate nights with my little affair." "It took me long enough, to seduce him. I don’t regret it, though. It was wonderful as long as it lasted - and it lasted for almost a year and a half. Probably the longest relationship I’ve ever had with anybody, expect Lucius - and I hardly call that a relationship. Also, that affair is my greatest triumph over the others." "I, Narcissa Malfoy, did what was thought to be impossible. I did what Bellatrix failed on, a fact that annoys her to no end. I did what half of Hogwarts in our times wanted to do but could never accomplish. I seduced my cousin, the epitome of loyalty and damned Gryffindorish spirit, seduced him out of his pitiful little lover’s bed." "I was the girl who lured her way into Sirius Black’s pants." For a moment Lucius just stared at the journal, not really believing what he’d read. Of course he’d known that Narcissa wasn’t loyal to him. He wasn’t loyal to her, either. A simple test spell had proved that he indeed was Draco’s father, and that was enough for him; the knowledge that his fortune wouldn’t go to a stranger’s bastard son was almost more than he had expected to get from his wife. But... this? She’d seduced _Sirius Black_? The fact that she’d been with him despite the fact that they were cousins didn’t surprise Lucius the slightest. But that Black had fallen to Narcissa, the courageous, loyal Black, the white sheep of the Black family... had cheated on his lover. Had cheated on Remus. It took a moment from the news to sink in. Then he realized what he should have even before. Here, right in his hands, was the only thing that could make Remus want to live again. He only had to present this to the werewolf, to make him believe it. He’d be willing to complete their bond, then. He certainly didn’t want to spend his eternity with an unfaithful bastard. The question was, did Lucius want him to find out? Did he want to complete the bond not only with his former lover but also the werewolf? He wasn’t really sure. He had to ask Severus. * "He’s getting weaker every day," Severus said quietly, drawing invisible patterns to the table with his fingertips. Lucius didn’t bother even asking whom he meant, he just nodded and sighed. It’d been three days since he’d discovered the bitter truth about Remus’s former lover. He still hadn’t told about it to Severus, for he didn’t know how he should tell it. He wasn’t even sure whether he wanted to tell it, either. Did he truly want a third man to share the love between him and Severus? They watched as Remus slowly, obviously with a great effort, got up from the couch. He was deathly pale, and he had dark circles around his eyes. The Gryffindor was also getting thinner - he hardly ate anything nowadays. "I’m going to the library, if anyone is interested," the smallest man said quietly, then stepped out of their shared quarters and closed the door behind him. The two Slytherins glanced concernedly at each other. Now, they were truly worried. Remus never used to be this depressed before. "He has nothing to live for anymore," Severus observed quietly. "Not a thing that’d tie him to this life, and it hurts me. I feel - Merlin, Lucius, I feel just like I did watching you wander around soulless!" Lucius blinked. He hadn’t known that Severus felt so much for the small brunette. Examining the feelings coming through the bond, however, he knew that the dark-haired man’s words were true. His decision was even harder now. One half of him, the selfish one, told him to keep the journal in secret. It told him that if he made Remus wholly enter the bond, the werewolf would pull Severus away from him. If Severus even now felt so strongly about the Gryffindor, would he even remember the love between them when Remus was there also to share the bond? Other half of his mind, however, was all to the opposite. It told him that he, too, felt strongly for the werewolf. That it wasn’t even all because of the bond, but also because of the time they’d spent together. It told him that he felt so because of the werewolf’s kind, unselfish character; because of the willingness to sacrifice himself for the others; because of the golden eyes and the rapidly greying hair. It told him that he, too, loved Remus. It told that if Remus entered their bond, it wouldn’t take Severus away from him but weave them even tighter together with each other - and with Remus, too. At last, he made his mind. "Severus," he said slowly. "Yes, Lucius?" his lover asked, snapping his black eyes at Lucius’s face. "I -" the blonde Slytherin started, searching for the right words. At last he sighed, "I found out something last week - something you probably should know about..." * That night, they cornered Remus as he came from the library of Hogwarts. The werewolf eyed them suspiciously, but didn’t say anything, waiting for them to do something. So, Lucius did. "Here," he said, handing out the little book. "I think you ought to read this." "That’s your wife’s journal," Remus said suspiciously, eyeing the name on the cover of the book. "What in it could interest me?" "Take a look," Lucius said, handing the book to him. He’d already opened the page where the surprising confession was. Remus took the book into his hands. The golden eyes darted forth and back along the lines of Narcissa’s small, tidy handwriting. At first he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then, suddenly, gasped in shock and dropped the book from his hands. "That’s not true," Remus whispered in shock. "That can’t be true." "I’m sorry," Lucius said grimly, "but it is indeed true. Your lover cheated on you for quite a long time." "You’re lying," the smallest man said accusingly. "You’re simply lying!" "And why would we ever lie about that?" Severus asked dryly. "Because you hate Sirius," Remus snapped briefly. "You’d enjoy nothing more than make me hate him." "Even if I tried to make you hate him, would I do it this way?" the Potions Master replied, knowing that he should now consider his words carefully. "Why’d I get Lucius express the proofs to you - Lucius, who has nothing to do with my hatred to Black? Why wouldn’t I tell you about other things that I’ve witnessed myself, things that I have more reliably proofs for?" The werewolf just glared at him. Then he again picked up the book, quickly glancing through it. "Our anniversary used to be the day after my birthday," he explained airily while searching for the right entry. "1981, Sirius had to leave for just those days. Order business, he said. I don’t know whether he spoke truth or not - back then, I was slightly suspecting him of being a Death Eater." Whilst saying this he sent a bit apologetical glances to the both Slytherins. Severus merely rolled his eyes towards the ceiling - the only sign of impatience he would ever show - and Lucius kept his gaze intent on the brunette, waiting for him to find what he searched for. At last, Remus found the right date. He quickly glanced through the page. Then he turned even paler than before, the book again falling from shaky hands. He sat to the nearby armchair as if his feet couldn’t bear him anymore. "He was with my wife," Lucius guessed levelly. Remus nodded slowly, the pain evident in his eyes. "I’m doomed," the werewolf said quietly. "I’m doomed to live an eternity with a cheater." The small brunette closed his eyes, slumping even deeper into the armchair. "I would wish to die, but I have no desire to go to him any sooner than I really have to." "Why’d it be that way?" Lucius asked smoothly. "There are options, you know." "No, there aren’t," Remus replied, his eyes fixed on the floor. "The only way to get away from Sirius would step into a complete bond with somebody - and as I’m in a bond with you, I can’t be bonded to anybody else." "And what’s wrong with us, may I ask?" Severus asked dryly. "Oh, nothing," Remus said, managing even a slight, half-amused chuckle. "Only the fact that you are already together, and there’s no room in your bed for another man." "Are you sure about that?" Severus questioned him again. Remus glared at him slightly. "Stop teasing me," he snapped. "It’s you two, and me. Has been, and will be. I know there’s no way either of you would sleep with me, leave alone you both - which would be required for truly completing the bond." "Listen to us for a change, okay?" Lucius said smoothly. As Remus had fallen silent, he continued, "I know we haven’t been in best terms, ever. Even with the bond we all share, we’ve been civil at best to each other. But this bond - it’s changing us. Our feelings, to be exact." Remus gave him a weird glance. He chose to ignore it, however, and went on. "There’s a new feeling, you can’t deny it. It’s not only the need for touch to survive -it’s different. It’s deeper, to say so." He made a slight pause, then said, "It’s need... For each other." Remus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, slowly, "You - you are serious about this?" "For quite some time, actually," Severus said smoothly. "The bond has tied us to you, Remus, us both. I and Lucius like you... Maybe even more. We don’t want you to die. We want to complete the bond." After a moment of silence, he added, "You feel it, too. Don’t even try and deny it." "Like it could ever remain," the werewolf sighed, pushing a silvery strand aside from his face. "It’s just that - the need to complete the bond. After it’d been completed, there’d be no other feelings - other than the need for sex in order to survive." He snorted. "And I’m not ready for that. I’m not ready to beg for a permission to have sex with you two - or, worse even, whore myself to stay alive. I value myself a bit higher than that." Before he could say anything else, or Lucius could do anything, Severus had crossed the room. For a moment he just stood in front of Remus. Then, he leant forward, placing a deep, lingering kiss on the werewolf’s lips. At last he drew back. "Is that enough of an evidence... Remus..." he asked, a bit breathless from the kiss. Lucius, too, walked to the place where Remus was standing. Before Remus had even fully recovered from Severus’s actions, he kissed him also. Then he turned a bit to kiss Severus - and the kiss was just similar to the one he’d shared with Remus. After the kiss he, too, locked his eyes on Remus. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes held the same promises as Severus’s. Promises of protection, connection, warmth, and something else he couldn’t quite recognize. Remus pondered his options for a moment. He had so much to lose, and not too much to win. He simply didn’t know anymore. Just an hour ago everything had been so clear in his mind. He’d been almost grateful as he’d dropped a book, too weak and clumsy to carry it, since it’d been a sign that he’d soon be with the man he loved. Now, it only seemed to be the death warrant that it really was. At last, Remus made up his mind. "Okay," he said quietly. "Let’s do it." A deep, slightly shaky breath, then, "Let’s complete the bond." * Lucius stepped inside the master bedroom of Severus’s quarters. As he was the last one, he turned around to close the door. He kept facing the door for a moment, placing a few locking and silencing charms on it, like he always did. Then he turned around, examining the two men he was bonded to. Severus looked relaxed and certain of himself. Of course, he always looked controlled. His eyes were locked on Remus, who didn’t look the tiniest bit comfortable. The werewolf looked extremely nervous. Not only the unfamiliar surroundings were unnerving the wolf, which was already quite strong in this phase of the moon, but also the whole situation was definitely more than enough to make anyone nervous. He was, after all, going to sleep with his former two worst enemies after half a year of celibacy following his previous mate’s death. "Don’t worry," Severus said softly, placing a hand on the werewolf’s shoulder. "We won’t hurt you. Promise." "I know," Remus said, and swallowed. "But... I still can’t help feeling... That I’m cheating on Sirius." He closed his eyes momentarily, a look of guilt and slight confusion on his face. "You’re not cheating on anyone," Lucius said in reassurance, taking a step towards the two men. "Black is dead. He can no more hold any claims over you." He reached for the small brunette’s free shoulder, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. "Right..." The werewolf still sounded unsure. Realizing this, Lucius sighed, then drew him into an embrace. He’d noticed that after the Imperius had been lifted, he was much more in ease showing his emotions. So, he had absolutely no problem at all with hugging the werewolf. Severus let his long fingers wander gently over Remus’s tensed back, drawing small, relaxing circles with his fingertips. "Relax, Remus," he whispered into one slightly pointy ear. "We’ll make you feel good... So good. Just relax a little." With a few long, shuddering breaths, the tension left the werewolf’s body. He allowed himself to be led to the enormous four-poster bed, where the other two men laid him down, lying on the covers next to him, one on each side. At first, Lucius and Severus met above him in a long, passionate kiss. Then Severus broke off the kiss and moved to kissing Remus, while Lucius started to remove his robes. As soon as the outer robe had been unbuttoned and pulled off his body, Severus started to unbutton his shirt, while Lucius got to take off his pants. All this time Remus just lay back, enjoying the feeling of Severus’s lips wandering along his jaw-line, placing light kisses all over his jaw and neck. Suddenly, the unbroken silence was disturbed by an unexpected question. "Remus," Severus said, "what’s this?" He pointed one fine finger at a spot in the werewolf’s forearm he’d just exposed. There, with neat black letters, was the number, "431579." Remus turned his head away with an ashamed expression. "It’s my werewolf ID number," he said quietly. "They make you have this?" Lucius asked, his expression darkened with anger. He’d known that the people in the Ministry were mostly bastards, but this was too much. Remus was a human, for Salazar’s sake, not an animal! The smallest man bit his lip and nodded. "You see now?" he asked with a quiet tone. "I’m totally fucked up. You shouldn’t bother with me." "Don’t you dare to try and tell us what we should and shouldn’t do, Remus Lupin," Severus snorted. "The fact that Ministry officials are brainless bastards doesn’t make you any worse." He pulled the shirt entirely off Remus’s body, tossing it away. Lucius nodded in agreement to his words, then pulled the pants away from the werewolf’s legs. For a while they just watched him, taking in the sight of their last bonded’s naked body. Remus was beautiful, true, but so very thin and pale also. It was quite clear that he’d been near to death. The death they were now going to save him from. Remus turned his head away once again, uneasy under their intent gazes. The other two men noticed his embarrassment, and quickly stopped watching. Lucius in turn leant down to kiss him, while Severus started getting rid of his own clothes. As soon as Severus’s outfit had been taken care of, he started placing light kisses over the werewolf’s exposed chest. Remus, who at this point was almost wholly relaxed, decided to participate in the events and started opening Lucius’s heavy velvet robes. The blonde allowed him, keeping a firm hand on each side of his face as he continued kissing him. After some time, both Slytherins were naked, their clothes tossed all around the bed. Remus surveyed them with his eyes almost as attentively as they’d before examined the werewolf. Then they lay back next to Remus, both wrapping an arm around him. "In order to complete the bond, you need to sleep with us both," Lucius whispered huskily into the werewolf’s ear. Remus didn’t reply, he just nodded. He was aware of this certain aspect of the bond. "Whom you want to be the first?" Severus asked, placing yet another light kiss on the long neck of Remus’s. "Doesn’t matter to me," the smallest man murmured back. "Please... I need you..." They didn’t need any more encouragement as they started to let Remus in to the bonds of love tying them together. * The next morning, Remus woke up feeling warm and safe. At first this confused him, since he hadn’t felt like that ever since Sirius had died. Even more he was confused by the feeling and sounds of somebody sleeping next to him - on both sides. And, somebody had their arms wrapped around him. Then, slowly at first, the last night’s events came to his mind. He opened slowly his eyes and saw a platinum blonde head right in front of him. Lucius slept there, one arm on top of the duvet, the other curled around his head. Remus turned his head and caught a glimpse of a black head behind him - Severus. The werewolf felt very comfortable lying between the two other men. So, he closed his eyes again and relaxed. He could have worried about whether or not the Slytherins would regret what they’d done - he himself didn’t, but maybe it’d been just the bond affecting Severus and Lucius, making them sleep with Remus? But, he’d have time to worry later. He just wanted to enjoy this feeling as long as he could. Remus also noticed that he felt a lot better than the day before. There was no weakness in his body, no odd nausea or a feverish feeling. All in all, he felt better than for ages. He felt healthy. ‘Must be because we completed the bond,’ he mused quietly to himself. ‘Now, the symptoms of being drained by an uncompleted bond are leaving me.’ After some time he heard a little change in Severus’s breathing. The Slytherin was obviously waking up. Remus forced himself to stay relaxed and not tense, waiting for the dark-haired man’s reaction as he’d notice Remus on his arms. To his great surprise he felt a pair of gentle lips pressing against his neck. As Severus slipped out a tongue to touch his sensitive skin he couldn’t help but gasp aloud. "Got you," he heard a smug voice murmuring into his ear. "What do you mean, ‘got you?’" Remus asked, knowing that he couldn’t act sleeping any longer. At least he didn’t feel so unsure anymore, knowing that at least on this moment Severus didn’t regret what they’d done. "I knew you weren’t sleeping," the Potions Master explained. "I knew it at the same moment as I woke up. I just had to make you admit it." "How did you know it?" Remus asked, curious. Then, a bit suspiciously, he asked, "And would you otherwise have kissed my neck?" He could hear the smile in Severus’s voice as the other man replied, "It’s the bond, you know. You don’t yet know what the feelings coming through it mean, but I’ve had a lot of experience with Lucius. You’ll learn it by time." He made a slight pause, then mumbled, "And as for the other question..." Remus felt the hot lips on his neck again. Severus sucked gently at his shoulder joint, drawing blood nearer the surface. Although Remus of course couldn’t see his neck, and he couldn’t clearly remember everything of the night before, either, he somehow knew that there were much more marks on his skin than the one Severus was now making. A quick glance to Lucius’s direction told that he wasn’t the only one marked, either, and he highly doubted that Severus had managed to get away without at least a couple of hickeys as well. Severus nibbled a bit at his neck, and he moaned aloud. The other man made a little, satisfied sound, then rolled him around to face him. Severus leant his head forward, and Remus’s lips met his in a warm, loving kiss. When they’d kissed for some time - whether it was seconds or minutes, Remus couldn’t tell, only that it was wonderful - the werewolf felt another pair of hands on his back. One of the hands then snaked under him and up to his chest on his front, while the otheslid over him only to be laid on Severus’s side. "Good morning, you two," Lucius said smoothly. The air stream made the hairs in Remus’s neck shudder. "Good morning, Lucius," Severus replied calmly. He then turned his face up as Lucius leant over Remus, and the two met in a passionate kiss. Remus watched as the two Slytherins’ tongues fought of dominance, just like his and Severus’s had done just a moment ago. He had to admit that it was a very erotic sight. The two seemed to fit together perfectly, and - Suddenly, Lucius broke off the kiss. Then he turned a bit to face Remus. The werewolf had just time to turn his face up, and then he was kissed again. Lucius’s lips felt different from Severus’s, a bit colder maybe, and smoother, but no less pleasurable. He responded the kiss eagerly, just like he’d responded to Severus. At last, this kiss, too, was broken. Lucius and Severus both smiled at him. "Still doubtful?" Severus asked softly. Remus closed his eyes momentarily, collecting himself. Last night, his feelings had been very confused. The little bit that he had understood had been driven over by lust and passion, and fear, too. Now, however, those feelings were gone, and he could see what was behind them. He was slightly surprised, and not just a bit relieved, as he noticed a very familiar feeling he’d once thought he’d never experience again. He noticed that he loved both Severus and Lucius. Remus opened his eyes, and smiled back to the two Slytherins he’d been bound to. "No," he said, "I’m not doubtful anymore." * In the end, it took very little efforts to manage the little swift in the relationship among the three men. Remus’s things were moved to the master bedroom, and they changed his previous bedroom back into the extra study it had been before any of this happened. Remus and Lucius adopted this as their shared study, allowing Severus his own room to plan his classes and brew potions in. Dumbledore at first didn’t question the change in their lives, but his eyes twinkled even more than usually as they went to the first Order meeting after completing the bond, all three holding hands. The other Order members, however, simply stared at them until they sat and Dumbledore told the meeting to be begun. As it was just the day after the full moon, Remus was sound asleep in the end of the meeting. Severus and Lucius had suggested him to stay in their quarters and sleep, but Remus had been adamant about coming - even if he couldn’t stay awake, he would at least be present. Seeing that he wasn’t about to change his mind, the two allowed this, taking care that he was seated between the two of them. As the meeting was over, the Headmaster, however, told them to stay behind. He surveyed for a moment the two Slytherins, each in turn, then Remus, who was resting his head against Severus’s shoulder in a peaceful slumber. Then, he chose to speak. "Well, well," the Headmaster said, his eyes twinkling rapidly, "I see that much more has come from your bond than was ever expected." "Is that a bad thing?" Severus asked smoothly, eyeing calmly the older wizard in front of him. "No, no," Dumbledore hastied to say. "Not at all. It’s just... A bit surprising, should I say. It wasn’t long since Remus seemed all too willing to die away." "We didn’t force him to this, if you’re suggesting that," Lucius said coolly. "He was wholly willing to complete the bond with us. I admit it took a bit of talking from our side, but in the end, it was his own decision." "I trust you," came the reply, accompanied with a slight nod. "Really?" Severus asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "My, my, Albus, you’re losing your grip." Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "Ever the same, Severus, I see," he said. "Yes, I indeed trust you. I have one thing to ask you, though," the old wizard added then, turning serious - or as serious as he ever could. "Is Remus happy with you two?" The Slytherins glanced at each other, then back to the Headmaster. "We hope so," Lucius said softly, squeezing slightly Remus’s hand that was lying on the armrest of his chair. "I see," the Headmaster said. "You have to understand that I am highly concerned about Remus’s wellbeing. Neither of you has led an easy life, but the fates have treated Remus extremely badly. He’s got too much pain in his life already - I don’t want him to be hurt again." "Don’t worry, Albus," Severus said reassuringly. "We’d never hurt him on purpose." "No, I suppose you won’t," the old man sighed. Then he stroked his long, white beard while continuing, "But that doesn’t solve the problem; is Remus truly happy now?" Remus yawned slightly, then fluttered his eyes ajar. "Yes, Albus, I am very happy indeed," he said sleepily, with these words wiping away all uncertain thoughts from everybody’s mind. And, because of that, Albus gave his full blessing to them. *** Part Three: Wolfsbane in Baby Bottles * The Final Battle was over. It had taken many lives from both sides. Hermione Granger, Cho Chang, Dennis Creevey, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Ginny Weasley... So many were the names of the people that would not come back home. Draco Malfoy was among them, too. Lucius did not shed a tear over this, despite all the bitterness. The young Slytherin had fallen in the black robes of the Death Eaters, duelling with Lucius himself over Severus’s unconscious body. Lucius did not express his sadness of both the death and betrayal to the light of his son’s, but his both lovers knew that young Draco would forever be remembered. One name, one person, however, went almost unnoticed. None of the three men living in Severus Snape’s quarters was surprised, much less disappointed, as they heard that Narcissa Malfoy was in the rows of dead Death Eaters. None of them felt sad about this, not even Lucius. After hearing that her husband wasn’t only fully bonded to a man, but two, Narcissa had refused to keep any contact to him - but she still hadn’t signed the divorce papers. She’d been simply too greedy for the money to go away like would have been best for everyone. Now, this desire had got her dead. She’d been killed by furious Remus’s charm when she’d aimed at Lucius, who at the moment had been kneeling on the ground, spitting blood as a result of a particularly nasty hit. She’d tried to kill Lucius to inherit his fortune at last, but, unfortunately, the werewolf’s reactions had been faster. Now, however, they had a reason to be worried. Severus had received several curses before, and he claimed to be fine now, too. However, Poppy Pomfrey was not letting him away from the Infirmary, even though she’d sent away anyone other who wasn’t in danger of death. This, of course, made Remus and Lucius more than slightly worried. It was the third day after the battle, and the two were, as always, sitting on two chairs beside their bonded’s bed. They were in a secluded corner of the Infirmary, out of the way of all the mediwitches and mediwizards fussing around the worst injured patients. "Bloody woman," Severus muttered, giving a murderous glare at the woman who was organizing the medical aid. "I’m perfectly fine! I could run to the top of Astronomy Tower and back without even stopping in the way, and still she insists to keep me here!" At these words, he shuddered a bit and brought a hand to his abdomen, which didn’t go unnoticed by his two lovers. "Severus..." Lucius said with a bit suspicious tone, "Are you sure you are all right?" "I’m fine!" the Potions Master snapped. "So stop questioning me!" "If you are as fine as you claim to be, Severus, then why’s Poppy not letting you leave?" Remus asked observantly. The dark-haired man lowered his gaze, murmuring something. "Could you please repeat that?" Lucius asked smoothly. "I don’t think we quite heard you." "I said I’m pregnant," Severus sighed aloud. "I took a potion at summer. Now, I’m about three months along. With triplets." For a moment, neither Remus nor Lucius said anything. "You aren’t mad at me?" he asked, almost desperately. "For getting pregnant? No change in Hell," Lucius said firmly. "For endangering yourself? You can be sure about that. What were you thinking, Sev, honestly? You could have got yourself and the babies killed!" "He’s right, you know," Remus said quietly, settling on the foot of his bed. "Not only that you went to the battle when you knew very well you were pregnant, but also that you even attempted the pregnancy without telling us. Male pregnancies are very high-risky. We don’t want to lose you." He stroked slowly Severus’s legs through the blankets. "You’re too important to us," he finished quietly. "To both of us," Lucius confirmed. "We love you, Severus - we both do. It’d kill us to lose you. We don’t want that to happen." "You won’t," the dark-haired man replied with a tiny sigh. "I’ll take care of myself - I promise. And I won’t endanger myself or the babies anymore." He drew the duvet downwards, revealing his stomach. Then he placed a hand protectively on his stomach, where was, now that they actually paid attention on it, clearly seen a little bulge. How they’d managed to miss it before was beyond both Remus and Lucius. Most probably they’d just thought it was because Severus had filled out a bit after they’d settled down to their relationship. But, both the werewolf and the blonde had to admit that it was a very beautiful sight. The two other men also both laid a hand on the stomach, entwining their fingers with Severus’s. Lucius smiled warmly at his black-haired mate, and Remus bent down to place a loving kiss on his temple. "That’s wonderful," Remus murmured to him. "I truly am happy that you decided to do this. Now that the War is over, we can safely raise the children." Lucius nodded in agreement, his smile never fading. "Let’s see when it gets worse," Severus muttered bitterly, again changing moods. "My body is completely unexperienced about female hormones. In the male pregnancy, the worst time is about everything after the third month, as the amount of the hormones gets high enough. So, I’ll be switching moods, yelling and snapping even more than before. Then we’ll see just how happy you are about this!" "Now, now, Severus, it’s okay," Lucius chuckled. "I’m sure we won’t even notice the difference!" Severus glared at him coldly. "Some day, I’ll make you regret those words, Lucius Malfoy," he promised. "I’ll do it as soon as that sadist in a mediwitch’s dress lets me out of the bed!" "Why do you obey her, though?" Remus asked wonderingly. He knew all too well that Severus practically never did what Poppy told him to. He’d through the War kept ignoring all medical advices and orders, almost driving his two lovers crazy by constantly making his injuries and illnesses worse only because of his stubbornness. "I have pretty little options," the Potions Master replied sulkily. "She informed me that the labour is a very painful thing, and that if I miss obeying even one of her orders, she won’t help me through it. And as I’ll not be able to Apparate after a week or so, I don’t really desire trying to get to Hogsmeade to Floo to St. Mungo’s when I’m doubling in pain and too heavily pregnant to get to my feet by myself." "Of course I expected something like that," Lucius smirked, "but couldn’t you even pretend that you’re doing it because you’re concerned about our children’s lives?" The gentle squeeze he gave to Severus’s hand, however, told a wholly other message than the teasing words. Severus sighed. "I’m not going to endanger them," he promised. "Not anymore. I know I almost lost them all in the battle, and Salazar, did it scare me - I was afraid I’d lose them, and die myself, even before I got a chance to tell you. But I know there’s nothing wrong with me now. The only reason why she’s keeping me here is that I pissed her by going the other night, and she wants to get back on me." "Sure..." Remus chuckled, earning a smirk from Lucius and a glare from Severus. They stayed there for quite some time, chatting about their future and the babies growing inside Severus. Remus seemed particularly excited about the thought of becoming a father, as he’d for long time thought that he’d never be blessed by children of his own. Lucius was a bit calmer but happy all the same, and Severus... Well, Severus was happy and angry and sad all the time. Seemingly the mood swings had already settled in, although he told them that it’d get a lot worse later, and he could even lose the control over his magic. This, of course, made Lucius jokingly ponder aloud the possibility of leaving the country, and Remus’s just as seriously made promise to tie him on the very chair he was sitting on if he even considered it. Later, Poppy shoved the two un-pregnant men out of the Infirmary, telling them that it was too late and her patients needed rest. She looked somehow satisfied, however, about the fact that Severus had told the truth to his mates. Remus and Lucius walked through the empty corridors, neither saying a word. As they reached their shared quarters, Remus sat on a couch with a sigh. Lucius sat beside him, and the werewolf leant his head against his blonde lover’s shoulder. Lucius gently wrapped one arm around the slender shoulders. For a moment, they stayed like that. Then, Remus broke the silence. "We’re going to be fathers," he said very quietly, his eyes locked on the blazing fire. Lucius didn’t say anything, he just nodded. "Real fathers, of all three... I read about it somewhere. If the parents are unbreakably bonded, it is indeed possible for a kid to have three biological parents." Now, Lucius reacted. "Sounds like the children are in for a Hell of a life," he said, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah... Two ex-Death Eaters as fathers. And a werewolf," Remus added gloomily. Lucius hugged him even tighter against himself, his expression turning very serious. This, of course, didn’t go unnoticed by Remus. "You’re afraid that the babies might be lycanthropic too, if they’re mine," the brunette wizard said darkly. It wasn’t even a question. "Or that they’re tainted with too much Dark from my bloodline." Lucius sighed and drew Remus into his arms. "If the babies are getting Dark from anywhere, it’s from Severus and me, and not from you," he said firmly. "And even if one or more of them were werewolves, I, at least, wouldn’t mind a bit. I love you, Remus, no matter what you are. And we both know that Severus loves you too. So why’d we care if one of our children was a werewolf?" "Because the baby’d be doomed," the brunette man said gloomily. "Doomed to an endless humiliation and despise from the society and the Ministry. Doomed to regular pain of the transformation and the loss of their humanity. Doomed to grow up knowing that they will always be despised and watched upon." "It will not be so," Lucius promised with a firm voice. "I won’t let it be. And your life is going to be better, too. I and Severus will see for it." "I know you will try," Remus said miserably, cuddling even closer to him. "But that’s not always enough." The blonde Slytherin stroke gently his greying hair, placing a soft kiss on top of his head. They stayed like that, curled close to each other, until Remus drifted off to sleep, exhausted - the full moon was just a few days ahead. Lucius collected gently the sleeping werewolf to his arms, carrying him to their bed. Then he undressed himself and lay on the bed beside Remus, arms wrapped around the slender waist. Eventually he, too, slipped into the land of dreams. * It was Saturday, the day before the full moon. Severus was now five months to the pregnancy, and it wasn’t pretty. If it had only been the usual morning sickness and an aching back or head, he could have aided himself with the potions he knew that wouldn’t harm the babies. If it had only been his mood swings and odd cravings, Lucius and Remus wouldn’t have had too many troubles with it, as there was always another one to share it with. But no, it couldn’t be so easy to them. As one of the fathers was a werewolf, Severus was now having hard time, like they’d discovered the month before. Severus had thrown up almost constantly the couple of days before the full moon and finally passed out in pain as Remus’s transformation began. Then, the invincible nausea had continued for still a couple of days after the full moon. Poppy’d reassured them - or, mostly, Remus - that this didn’t necessarily mean that any of the babies were werewolves. It was just a natural reaction of Severus’s body to carrying children of a Lycanthrope. And there indeed was a way to prevent the extra nausea and pain - Severus simply had to drink Wolfsbane every time Remus did. It wouldn’t make the pain go away wholly, but he’d only feel a twist in his stomach, nothing insufferable. Unfortunately, like Remus had noticed, the Wolfsbane tasted bad. Very bad. And with Severus’s even otherwise nauseous feeling, added to the fact that Wolfsbane made him unable to ingest other potions without complications until the full moon, this created a real problem. Right now, Severus wasn’t feeling well. Not well at all. He’d just come from the bathroom where he’d violently thrown up, Lucius holding his hair back, as it was the blonde’s turn to do so. But, the dark-haired Slytherin was still nauseous. And his head ached. And his back. And the babies were kicking rather furiously on the insides of his stomach, which didn’t do any good to his mood. "Severus, calm down," Remus tried to say as Severus muttered a couple of curse words, holding his head. "It’ll be okay, you know. Not long till the full moon is over, and then -" "Shut the Hell up, werewolf!" Severus roared, cutting him off. "This is _your_ fault! Without you cursing the babies with your damned blood, I wouldn’t be going through this! I should never have even considered bonding with you!" Remus just stood there, his jaw hanging open in shock, his face paled past white to grey. Then he turned on his heels and fled from the room. Lucius saw tears on his pale face as he ran past. "That’s right!" the Potions Master bellowed after him. "Run away, you monster! That’s the only thing you’re good for. RUN, YOU BEAST!" At this, Lucius simply snapped. He knew, as well as Remus, that Severus didn’t really mean it at all. He was just being hormonal, and a victim of the mood swings as well as the others were. But Remus was being overly sensitive with the full moon hanging over their heads, and Severus had hit just the spot that he knew would hurt the werewolf most. Plus, he’d been snapping at both Lucius and Remus for at least three days before this. Now Lucius had finally had enough, seeing his usually calm and patient lover running away in tears. "STOP THAT!" he yelled. Severus fell silent for pure surprise. They’d never opposed him before. "Look at what you’ve done!" Lucius continued, shouting furiously at his dark-haired mate. "You know very well that when the full moon is around, he gets sensitive. And now you - you - you BASTARD are using that on your advantage, deliberately hurting him!" "Well, he’s hurt me, too!" Severus yelled back, gaining back his previous rage. "He and his friends tortured me for years! It’s his fault that these babies are hurting me! Without him, I wouldn’t have any problem with the kids _even_ around the full moon!" "That was bloody twenty-five years ago!" the blonde replied with an equal fury blazing in his stormy silver eyes. "And you’ve hurt him just enough! You had no right to yell at him, to say those things at him, especially not now! If you want to hurt someone, hurt me, not him!" "That’s right," Severus snarled, the yelling now forgotten. Tears dwelled in the obsidian eyes. "Defend him with all your might! You don’t even love me anymore, do you? You’re only with me because I’m carrying you and the beast’s babies!" Lucius sighed inwardly and glanced at the ceiling. Severus’s hormones had seemingly decided to switch to his self-pity mood. But, he wasn’t going to let Severus go easy from what he’d done to Remus. So, he forced himself to stay cold to the tears. Besides, he suspected that if he went to comfort Severus now, he’d only be yelled at again. So, he chose to speak. "I do love you," he said calmly, choosing his words carefully. "But, I love Remus, too. Therefore, I won’t stand you deliberately hurting Remus’s feelings. You had simply no right for what you did. Remus loves you, he’s never hurt you on purpose. If you expect him - and me - love you in future, too, you’re going to stop that." He turned to walk to the door. On the threshold he looked over his shoulder, saying, "I’m going to see Remus now. Feel free to join us when you’re up to apologizing." With that, he stepped out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. It didn’t take long to find Remus. The werewolf was curled on an armchair in his former room, crying silently to himself. Lucius walked to him and gently collected him to his arms. "Shh," he said softly. "Don’t cry, love. You know he didn’t mean it, he was just being all hormonal again." "I know," Remus sniffled, trying in vain to stop the tears. "But - the moon - it’s just tomorrow night. I can’t behave sensibly around it." "You don’t have to try and reason yourself. Everyone has a right to have feelings," Lucius murmured to him. "I thought you’d learned it. Think about how bad Severus felt as he kept that unfeeling mask for years." "Think about how bad he now is that he shows all his feelings," the werewolf muttered bitterly. "He didn’t mean it," Lucius reminded patiently. "He shouldn’t have said it, true, and I told him that. But, Remus, he doesn’t really think so, he -" "Yes, he does!" Remus snapped. "He maybe is hormonal, but even that can’t make him say wholly unfamiliar things! He doesn’t mean it, I’ll take your word on that, but he wouldn’t have said it if the thought hadn’t ever crossed his mind!" Lucius sighed. He couldn’t deny that point, nor could he come up with a response. He just hugged Remus even tighter against himself, wishing desperately that this hadn’t even happened at the first point. It hurt him so much to see Remus hurt. The werewolf rarely cried, almost as little as Severus and Lucius themselves - they were all used to keep their feelings inside them, even though Severus had been an expert in it. If Remus was crying, it meant that he had been truly hurt. The door creaked open. As expected, Severus peered in. "Remus," he said softly, traces of tears marking his cheeks. "Remus, babe, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I didn’t mean it at all..." "S-Severus?" Remus whispered, wiping the last tears away. As the black-haired Slytherin approached the two men, the smallest man shied away, pressing even tighter against Lucius. Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by Severus. "I’m sorry for yelling at you," the Potions Master said quietly. "Lucius was right, I didn’t have any right to do that. I know that you’d much prefer if I didn’t have to go through this, just like I and Lucius would prefer if you didn’t have to transform every month. You’re not a beast, Remus, you’re one of the most intelligent, kind, and loveable people I’ve ever met." He bit his lip, trying to prevent tears coming to his eyes again. "Please forgive me..." For a while, Remus just watched him. Then his lips quirked into a small, wary smile. "Consider yourself forgiven," he murmured, his amber eyes still glowing with tears. Severus let out a sigh of relief, then came nearer to hug his both bonded mates. "I love you," Remus said quietly. "I love you," Severus and Lucius repeated his words in unison. * It was a quiet evening near Easter in Hogwarts, just before the new moon. Or, at least, it was quiet now. Just moments before, it’d been anything but quiet. The reason? Severus had gone into labour, and his yelling had echoed through half of the school. But at last, three little babies had been born. There were two girls and a boy, in that order. After checking on the babies and the "mother" who determinedly refused to be called one, Poppy Pomfrey had left the room, giving the newly-made fathers some time to get known to their little angels without outsiders disturbing them. And did they adore their babies! Lucius, who had before got a son, felt like he’d gotten the same ten times over again, now having children with somebody he truly loved. And Remus and Severus, who’d never felt the joy of becoming a father before... Well, they were simply amazed. Even Severus managed a little smile despite all his exhaustion from giving birth, and that was telling. Right now, Remus was sitting on a chair next to the bed Severus lay in. Both were adoring the small baby girls that lay on Severus’s lap, both fathers making sure that they wouldn’t fall. They examined the tiny creatures in fascination, hardly believing that they had truly created these little people. Lucius stood some way away from the bed, the youngest baby in his arms, eyeing gently his only son now that Draco’d died. The baby slowly opened his eyes ajar, yawning slightly. Lucius smiled, fatherly pride filling his heart with love and warmth towards the little baby boy in his arms. Suddenly, the little eyes snapped wholly open. Two glowing golden orbs shone from the face of the little infant. Lucius drew a sharp breath, making the both other men nailed their gazes at him. "What now, Lucius? Something wrong?" Remus asked, seemingly startled. The blonde man closed his eyes momentarily, collecting himself. Then he steadied the baby on his arm and looked at both of his lovers. "Severus, Remus..." he said carefully, "the youngest baby... The baby boy..." He drew a deep breath, then said, "Our little son is a werewolf." Remus let out a frightened cry. Then he hid his face in his hands, tears rolling down his cheeks. "My fault," he whispered. "My damned fault..." "It’s not your fault," Lucius said firmly, and Severus nodded. "It isn’t like you’d wanted it." Remus shook his head. "It is my fault," he said stubbornly. "Without me, you two would have nice human babies and live happily together ever after. But then I came along, and because of me the baby that should have been yours is mine and a werewolf!" "Remus John Lupin, if you dare to go on with that, I swear I will do something violent just to put some sense into your thick head," Severus said sharply. "Now, come over here. And bring the baby as well, will you, Lucius?" They did as asked. Severus laid all three babies on his lap, being extremely careful not to let them fall. "There," he said then, glancing at Remus. "Their eyes are closed now. Other than their hair, do you see differences?" Remus hesitated for a moment. "No," he said then. "I don’t see any differences. They’re too young to actually resemble anyone." "Good. So why would there be any differences even if they open their eyes?" "It isn’t only the eyes," Remus said stubbornly. "It is a whole lot more. Damn it, I should know how much more it is, of all of us! It isn’t like you’d got an ID number burned on your skin when you were three years old! That’s what going to await the baby, you know," he said then darkly. "As soon as he first transforms, the Ministry will want to mark him and put him into their registries. Doomed for the rest of his life, at that mark." "No, he won’t be," Lucius said firmly. "I still have some authority over the Ministry officials. I’ll do whatever is in my power to make sure that our son won’t have that tattoo." He gave Remus a tight hug, then added, "And that it’ll be removed from your skin as well." Remus didn’t say anything. He merely shook his head slowly. "It’s nice to dream, sometimes," he whispered. "But I know that those dreams will never come true." Severus huffed angrily and handed one of the babies to Remus, who took the offered child a bit hesitantly. Then Severus gave another child to Lucius, who also took her to his arms. Then Severus himself steadied the last baby better on his one arm and said, "Now... What about the names?" "Cassidy," Lucius said immediately. "It was my favourite name as I was little. I vowed to myself that if I ever had a daughter, I’d name her Cassidy." "I like Cassidy," Remus said, and Severus nodded in agreement. "The oldest one shall be Cassidy," he said, nodding towards the one baby on Lucius’s arms. "Cassidy... Cassidy Elizabeth, what do you think?" "Perfect," Remus smiled, and Lucius nodded as well. "As for the second child..." Severus glanced towards the little bundle on Remus’s arms. "I don’t know why, but she somehow reminds me of my grandmother," he said with a faintly amused voice. "Silvia Snape. I think Silvia would suit her rather well." "Silvia Courtney, perhaps?" Remus suggested. He seemed to have calmed down almost instantly. "That’s okay with me," Lucius said, smiling slightly. "And what for our son?" He glanced carefully at Remus. "Remus... You haven’t yet chosen a first name to any of the babies. What would you like to call our son?" Remus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, very quietly, "If you won’t mind... I’d like to call him Sirius." This startled the Slytherins quite a bit, although they both made of course sure not to show it at any rate. They exchanged wary glances, unsure of what to say. "You don’t like it," Remus said softly, having noticed the glances shot between the two other men. "Well... No," Severus admitted truthfully. "I mean, we don’t want you to hang on Black too much. I understand you really loved him, but he’s gone, and we’re what is here now. It’s not healthy to depend yourself on a dead man. However, as much as I hated Black, and despite the truth he cheated on you... He _did_ love you after all, in his own way. So, if you want to name our son Sirius to honour him, then, it’s fine with me. If, however, it’s just a sign that you’re not as happy with us as you were with him... Then it’s _not_ fine with me." "Same goes for me," Lucius said. "Are you truly happy with us now, Remus? Or do you still wish you were with Black?" Remus hesitated for a moment. Then he said quietly, "He did love me, true... But not in the way you do. And I didn’t love him the same way I love you. I’m happier with you two than I’ve ever been, but... I still want to remember Sirius. To make others remember him. He deserves at least a memory, if nothing else," he added then. "On that you’re right," Lucius said. "Sirius Black may have been an annoying, arrogant cheater, but he was a good man after all. And, like any good person, he deserves to be remembered by his friends. So..." He thought for a while, then said with a slight smirk, "How would you like Sirius Lucifer?" Remus made a chocking sound, and Severus glared at him. "Lucius Philippe Malfoy," he said sharply, "You’d _better_ be kidding, since otherwise I’ll skin you." "Okay, okay, calm down," Lucius said, again smirking. "I was kidding, true. In fact, I think that Sirius Jonathan would fit him." He glanced attentively at the little boy on Severus’s arms. "Suits me," Severus said, shrugging. "What about you, Remus?" The two Slytherins both locked their eyes on the werewolf. Remus thought for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I like that," he said softly. "Sirius Jonathan... What?" "You’re right," Severus realized. "We haven’t even discussed their surnames yet!" He glanced at the children, one by one. " If we gave one name to one, it’d be hard," he said. "Like, deciding which one is a Lupin, which one is a Malfoy, and which one is a Snape?" "We could, of course, name them after the one they resemble most," Remus said. "Although, you having carried them all, I think they all should have your name, too. Like, one Lupin-Snape, one Malfoy-Snape, and maybe one Snape?" Severus snapped his tongue. "These are going to be three very confused kids if we do that," he said sharply. "I, however, think it’d be easiest if they all had the same name," Remus said, smiling slightly. "What do you think, Lucius?" he asked then, turning towards the one man who hadn’t yet made a comment to the topic. Lucius looked uncharacteristically hesitant for a while. Then he steadied Cassidy on his one arm, slipping one of his hands to the pocket of his robe. "What about..." he said, bringing forth a tiny ebony box, "Lupin-Malfoy-Snape?" Both Severus and Remus gasped in surprise as they saw what was inside. There were two shiny rings in the box that was covered with night-blue velvet. They were both pure gold, one with a finely cut amber, one with a little piece of obsidian on it. "You - you aren’t -" Remus started, unable to finish his sentence. "I’m proposing to you," Lucius said calmly, although his voice was very quiet and his expression a bit hesitant. "Remus, Severus... You two mean me the most in the world. Well, you and these brats, anyway," he added, smiling lovingly at the baby on his arms. "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that we’re already bonded to life, and that we’re as good as married in all other means as well, but... I still want you both as my husbands in front of the law and the society. So, will you marry me?" The two still stayed in stunned silence for a moment. Then, at almost exactly the same moment, they both broke into a smile. "Of course I will marry you, Lucius, you daft," Severus said softly, the loving glint evident in his obsidian eyes. "You’re not getting away from me now, not after I carried three of your kids - your and Remus’s. You’re stuck with us, whether you like it or not, so it’s only good that you like it." "Good," the blonde man said, and sighed with relief - thus showing more emotion than most people had ever seen from him. Then he turned towards his other bonded. "Remus?" he asked carefully, searching for his lycanthropic lover’s gaze. "I’d love to," Remus said quietly, turning his eyes away from the silver orbs. "Believe me, I’d want nothing more than to marry you - both of you. But unless you use that ‘authority’ of yours, I can’t. I’m by law not allowed to marry full humans." Instead of saying anything Lucius merely let the box down on the covers of the bed, then put his hand into his pocket again. He then drew out a little sheet of parchment. "The permission sheet," he said briefly. "You are allowed to marry us, Remus." "Rather sure of yourself, weren’t you?" Severus asked dryly. "Well, let’s just say that a Malfoy does nothing unprepared," Lucius said with a slight smirk. "Not even proposing." He eyed Remus carefully. "So, it is settled then?" he asked. To his great relief, Remus, also, broke into a smile. "Of course, Lucius, love," the werewolf said. He reached out his free hand to touch Lucius’s. Severus, too, reached out a hand, meeting the other two in the middle of them. For a moment they just sat there, a child on each one’s arm, their other hands linked together. They could all sense the love going through their bond. * Severus and Lucius were sitting on two chairs in the little sitting room of Severus’s quarters. Remus, however, sat on a thick rug on the floor, butt naked. On his arms lay a little baby, equally undressed, nestling against his father for some warmth. The tiny infant was whimpering quietly, trying to adjust to the odd mental pull that he must feel by now. They’d given him the Wolfsbane, mixing some to his milk bottle every time they fed him. The daily dose wasn’t big for such a small creature as little Sirius was, so he hadn’t even noticed the foul taste. The full moon started to rise over the horizon. Remus hastily laid his son on the rug next to him as the transformation started. Remus bit his lip to prevent himself crying out in pain, but he failed. The baby cried out aloud also, writhing as his bones started cracking and his muscles stretching to their new forms for the first time in his short life. At last, the transformation was over. Moony licked the little cub concernedly, attempting to calm down his little offspring. Then he looked at Lucius and Severus, love and longing and sadness glowing in the golden eyes. The two men knelt down next to the wolves. Lucius petted gently Moony’s golden fur, and Severus took the tiny, black cub on his arms, pressing his little head against his chest, allowing him to hear the same steady heartbeat he’d listened for nine months before his birth. "It’s okay, Moony," Lucius whispered to the wolf. "Don’t worry. We love you, and we love him all the same even though you are wolves now." He saw the evident guilt in the beautiful animal’s eyes, and sighed. "It’s not your fault, love," he tried to assure his temporarily animal-formed lover. "It isn’t like you asked for it. He’s going to be fine, believe me." In the meantime, Severus petted just as gently the werecub that was his son. He mumbled meaningless, soothing sounds to him. From all he knew they were rather similar to those that she-wolves made to their cubs. However, the youngest Lupin-Malfoy-Snape didn’t seem to calm down that easily. He relaxed a bit at the familiar voice and heartbeat, but then started whimpering again. He wasn’t familiar with this form; it was strange and almost painful even though the actual transformation was over. At last Severus, not being able to bear listening to his son’s mournful sounds, did the last thing he could imagine in order to comfort the cub. He opened the front of his robes and, with some difficulty considering that the cub was only a little smaller than an average baby, put him inside his robes. Then, buttoning the black robes almost all the way up, he closed the cub in a small, safe nest. After only a few seconds, the werecub relaxed almost completely. The warm, dark closedness, the heat of Severus’s body and the now clear, familiar heartbeat made him feel safe despite this strange new form. Severus smiled distantly and petted his son through his robes for some time until he felt the last bits of tension leave the small animal’s body. He glanced up and found Lucius and Moony watching him, with looks of love and warmth on both the man’s and the wolf’s faces. Then Lucius leaned closer and hugged him warmly, leaving the bulge in Severus’s front between their bodies. Moony was of course unable to embrace him, but the wolf did press his cold nose at Severus’s neck. Like a reminder of their other children, a little whimper suddenly came from one of the cradles. Moony immediately strolled to where their daughters lay, stopping in front of one of the cradles. Lucius and Severus got to their feet and followed the wolf, Severus all the time securing the cub with an arm wrapped below the bulge in his robes. Moony peered into Cassidy’s cradle, where the sound had come from. The little girl was half awake, whimpering again. Instincts came over the wolf, and he licked soothingly his daughter’s face. To Lucius and Severus’s great surprise, the baby calmed down. She opened her baby-blue eyes, her gaze wandering around, unfocused. Moony licked her cheek again, and her mouth curled into a little smile. Moony raised his eyes from the baby, a wide wolf-grin on his face. The two men smiled warmly at him. Then Lucius knelt down to embrace him, too. For a moment, they all just stayed like that, feeling safe and comfortable. Then, Silvia bursted into tears. Lucius chuckled and went to the other cradle, picking the little girl into his arms. He hummed quietly, cradling her in his arms. The baby didn’t calm down, however. Moony tried to lick her face, too, but she only started crying more. "Give her to me," Severus finally sighed. Lucius nodded, handing the little bundle to his dark-haired husband. At almost exactly the moment Severus took her to his free arm, she stopped crying. "Classic," Lucius said, and smirked. "The baby only stops crying on their mother’s arms." Severus glared sharply at him, determinedly ignoring Moony’s wide grin. "Shut up," he snapped. "The day before yesterday _you_ were the only one who could make Cassidy calm down. It has nothing to do with being ‘a mother!’" He snorted. "Besides, I refuse being ‘mother,’" he added. "So, what are you going to be, then?" Lucius asked, smiling. "I claim the title ‘Father.’" "I’ll be ‘Dad,’" Severus hastied to say. "And what about dear Moony?" A rare mischief entered his eyes. "What about ‘Mum?’" A sharp glare and a threatening growl from the wolf told that he didn’t approve that title the slightest. "Now, now, Severus, don’t tease," Lucius said. "What about ‘Papa?’" A growl. "‘Pop?’" A glare. "‘Daddy?’" At first, a hesitating silence. Then, a happy yelp and furious nod. "So, Daddy it is," Severus agreed. Silvia made a little satisfied sound. Then he gave them an utterly cute baby-yawn, shut her blue eyes tightly, and fell asleep. Lucius took gently the baby from his lover’s arms, placing her back to her cradle. "I think that Sirius is asleep, too," Severus said quietly, sitting to a nearby chair. He unbuttoned the front of his robes again, revealing the small, furry cub inside them. Lucius instantly fetched a blanket to wrap the baby in. Moony lay on his side on the floor, and after a short moment of hesitation, the blonde man put the now covered werecub next to his equally wolf-formed Daddy. Moony gave the small bundle a tentative lick, then rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes. After a moment, he was asleep, too. All well and safe in the Lupin-Malfoy-Snape family. * Severus gently fastened a thin, golden chain around baby Sirius’s neck. After making sure it wouldn’t fall away, that it wasn’t too tight so it could strangle his son, nor was it too loose so it could get stuck on something, and that the pendant was the right side up, he glanced up from the baby. Remus was sitting on the nearby chair. His right sleeve was pulled up, revealing a slim arm. A Ministry official was crouching over the arm, murmuring quiet words whilst running his wand around a little area on Remus’s skin. At last, the official stood, glancing attentively at the arm. "It’s gone for good now," he said then, seemingly satisfied with what he’d done. Remus turned the forearm towards his eyes, examining it closely. "It’s true," he said quietly. "It’s gone... There’s not even the tiniest mark of it." "I promised you that, didn’t I?" Lucius said with a slight smirk, although his eyes were twinkling with warmth and love. "Next time have a little faith for me, will you?" "I will," Remus promised with a slight chuckle. Then he smiled warmly at his blonde lover. "Thank you," he said softly. "Any time." Lucius walked over to his chair and bent down, slipping another gold chain around the adult werewolf’s neck. He fastened the lock gently with his long, slim fingers. The official took a last check on both Remus’s and Sirius’s pendants, then bade his goodbyes, and left. As soon as he’d gone, Remus snuck a finger under the chain and tugged at it a bit. "A dog tag," he murmured. "It’s still humiliating, yes - but not half as much as the registration tattoo." He glanced up at Lucius and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you," he said again. "As I said already, any time, Remus. I love you. I’d do anything for you." Lucius bent down again to place a kiss on the smaller man’s forehead. Then he walked over to where Severus sat and gave him a quick kiss as well. "Oh, down, you," Severus said irritably. He laid the baby on his lap into an empty cradle next to the ones where their daughters lay, sound asleep. Sirius merely yawned and went to sleep - usually he was the loudest of the babies, but now he was just simply tired after the transformation. Remus walked over to them as well. They all peered down at their little children, who weren’t more than just half a month old. Cassidy already had a little golden tuft on the top of her head and Sirius had clearly black hair, but Silvia hadn’t shown any signs of anything but a bold head thus far. They all had straight noses from either Lucius or Remus - something that all the men were secretly grateful of, although no one, Severus at last, had said anything - and slightly pouty lips that were obviously inherited from Remus. All in all, they were truly adorable children, and not only to their proud fathers’ eyes. Albus had dared to visit as the children had been just a week old, and he’d been head over heels fussing around the children. "We’ll soon have to introduce them to the other staff, you know," Severus said nonchalantly. "Merlin forbid that," Lucius murmured quietly. "I’m sure they’ll all be fairly surprised that the babies are still alive - after all, they’ve been under our care for two weeks running!" "I don’t care about what the others say," Remus said calmly, "but if Sybil as much as hints a word’s worth about something bad happening to our children, I’ll personally see to her soon approaching and unpredicted, although not unwanted, death." "Now, now, Remus, no reason to get violent," Severus said with a slight chuckle. He stood and said, "I suggest we’ll go to the breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow and bring the triplets with us. I’m sure Albus will be delighted." "And even if he wasn’t," Remus added with a little grin, "we don’t care, now do we?" He slipped an arm through Severus’s, and Lucius did the same on the other side of the man. "I’m sure everyone will love them," Lucius said self-confidently. "They’re our children, after all." "Right," the other two said simultaneously. Then the three proud fathers glanced at their children again. They noticed that little Sirius had curled his little fist around the golden chain in his neck. Remus smiled, only the tiniest bit sadly. "He’s going to be a fighter," he commented. Severus nodded, then placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "Just like his father," he said, smiling a bit at his brunette lover. "Which one?" Lucius asked innocently. "The one who’s fought with his Lycanthropy for years, or the one who survived several years under the Dark Lord’s Imperius?" Severus gave him a sharp glare. "One more comment like that," he said threateningly, "and I’ll rip your cock off. _Then_ we’ll see who’s the ‘mother!’" "Aw, but Severus," Remus said with a mock-sweet voice, "now where’d be the fun of that?" "You don’t see it?" the Potions Master asked back with a smirk. "Then I’d be the only one able to shag you, and Lucius would forever be doomed to be the submissive one!" "Well, at least you prove you most definitely aren’t the mother," Remus said, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "Isn’t it just so traditional that men - all men - think with their balls?" "That’s not true," Lucius disagreed. "For if we only thought about sex, I wouldn’t have married Narcissa in the first place." "You never know," Severus snorted. "Bisexuals are never to be trusted wholly!" "Be quiet, please," Remus pleaded. "I have a headache bad enough anyway, and the next moment you’ll wake the babies!" Lucius immediately closed his mouth, which he’d already opened to respond to Severus’s comment. The dark-haired man, however, gave Remus an apologizing glance. "Sorry," he said. "I always forget how tender your ears are around the full moon." A slight pause, then, "Would you like something for the pain?" Remus sighed and shook his head. "Painkillers don’t work to the aftereffects of the transformation," he said quietly. "Right now, I only want to sleep." "Then," Lucius said with a determined tone, "we are going to sleep." With this said, they walked to their own bedroom, arms linked. *** Epilogue: Forever Together * "Lupin-Malfoy-Snape, Cassidy!" A thousand pairs of eyes locked on a young girl. Her golden hair shone in the light of the Great Hall, and her silvery eyes flicked with excitement, as she walked to the little stool and sat. Some first-years, Muggleborns mostly, began whispering furiously as they heard three surnames on one person. The Purebloods, however, as well as everyone with older siblings in the school, just smiled and murmured to each other, "One of the Trio, you know." Everyone in Hogwarts knew "the Trio," like the Lupin-Malfoy-Snape triplets were known. They’d lived most of their lives in the ancient castle with their fathers. They knew every corridor better than Filch himself and had found their way to every secret room and hall. They’d also been the targets of infinite spoiling from most of the castle’s female, and partly even male population, being all too adorable for their own good. Now they were at last attending to the school as students, and did it make their fathers happy. Remus leaned back in his chair. It was different from all the other chairs around the Staff Table. It had a back long enough for him to rest his head against it, and it was stuffed like an armchair, so he’d be comfortable sitting in it for long times. On both sides of it, two shining wheels of magical power were now stopped, but would be spinning around as soon as he had to move from the table. When the triplets had been five years old, Remus, too, had attempted pregnancy after hearing of another male werewolf carrying a baby to full term. Unfortunately, he had had no such luck. He had struggled through the first five months of pregnancy full of complications and dangers. Seven times he’d almost miscarried, but every time he’d managed to keep the baby. Then, however, as he’d been five months to the pregnancy, his body had at last decided to give up. Severus and Lucius had spent the two most terrifying days of their lives in a waiting room at St. Mungo’s, waiting for any message about Remus’s life or death. The triplets had been sent to stay with Kingsley, not informed about the graveness of the situation. Being children of three very smart men, however, they’d figured out themselves what was going on, and spent their time at their godfather’s mostly crying for their Daddy. At last, there’d been a change: Remus would survive. The baby was lost, and he could never even try carrying a child again, but the most important thing was that the werewolf himself was well and safe. The unfortunate pregnancy had left its traces, however. Remus tired very easily, and since he still had some trouble walking steadily by himself, they’d decided that it’d be better if he moved around in a magical wheelchair. Severus and Lucius took good care of him, though, and Dumbledore had given him the position of the Arithmancy professor as Professor Vector had retired in the same spring. Therefore, he could live a happy, full life even though his body was damaged. "SLYTHERIN!" the Hat yelled. Cassidy took it from her head, standing and walking to her new table. She was welcomed with cheers from her new housemates, who knew her reputation as a daughter of the two most Slytherin-y men of the last century or so, excluding Voldemort himself. McGonagall scanned down the list, then called out the next name. "Lupin-Malfoy-Snape, Silvia!" Another girl, this time with platinum blonde hair and warm black eyes, sat down, waiting for Professor McGonagall to put the Hat on her head. The hat hid her face for only a second before shrieking, "RAVENCLAW!" The three proud fathers clapped their hands, not the tiniest bit surprised by the Hat’s decision. Silvia had always been the cleverest of their children. Her pretty nose was often stuck inside a book, and she already knew more charms and spells than many third-years. She knew the absolute zero of curses and hexes, though. Lucius and Severus were determined to protect their children from their dark past, and Remus, fearing that his Dark nature as a werewolf might affect his children, was no more eager to introduce them to the Dark. Silvia shot up from the stool. She walked to join her new housemates, who were welcoming her with happy waves and smiles. All the older students knew her already, and they also knew that she’d definitely deserved her place in the House. "Lupin-Malfoy-Snape, Sirius!" A boy this time, with jet-black hair and a mischievous grin on his face, walked to the stool and sat. The Deputy Headmistress placed the Hat on his head. For a moment, everyone fell silent again. Then, the silence was broken. "GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat cried out. Young Sirius took it off his head and stood up, glancing towards his fathers. They were all smiling broadly at him, equally proud of him despite his House. Not that it’d surprised them - even though Silvia had always been the book-smart one, the brave part of Remus’s character had for sure fallen to their son. He was afraid of nothing, and had quite a few times almost got himself killed with his stupid encounters with things like the Giant Squid, the roof top - or rather the edge of the roof - of the Astronomy tower, and a couple of vampires and various other beasts in the Forbidden forest. Fortunately both his protective fathers and Lycanthrope blood did a fairly good job keeping him alive. For a moment, Remus almost thought he was seeing the same boy as he’d seen almost forty years ago skipping towards the Gryffindor table. The same black hair, the same mischievous grin, the same self-confident attitude. The same name, even. Then the candlelight touched Sirius’s eyes, making them shine golden. "Damned you may be," Remus muttered quietly to himself, "but loved nonetheless." He didn’t know whether he was saying it to his cheating ex-lover or his son, but it didn’t really matter. The past, the present, and the future - it was all the same to him at the moment. Then he felt a hand on his arm, and another on his other arm, and he knew that no matter what would the future bring to him, no matter how difficult the present seemed to be, and no matter what memories the past would throw on his way, he wouldn’t face them alone. * A/N: Oh my... A happy end, AGAIN... *shakes head* I’m losing my grip, really. If somebody was wondering why Silvia had blue eyes on the first full moon night after the triplet’s birth and black eyes in the Sorting, the explanation is really simple: All babies (except lycanthropic ones ^_-) have blue/dark blue eyes when they are born. The real colour of the eyes won’t show until later. And, yeah, that means that Kingsley is their Godfather. One of them, at least. The other godparents are Albus, Moody, Minerva, Poppy, and Hermione (guess which father chose which godparents?). Reviewers shall be blessed.