a/n: WHOLLY CRAP AN UPDATE! ::Woo-hoo!:: Warnings to the Slash-squeamish--there is man-loving in this chapter! Sorry for taking so long on the update, though I do believe I've found my groove again! Please, enjoy.

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A fruitful night of homework correction, avoiding Sirius Black and covertly scribbling away in his journal found Severus irritable with a slight headache by mid-evening. Thankfully, the mutt had left him alone and it was with no slight annoyance that he found himself disappointed.

With a stretch which realigned several vertebrae, Snape neatly tucked away his work, recapped his ink and started down the stairs.

Happy, tittering voices floated up the stairs, punctuated by the bray of Sirius' barking laughter. Severus wasn't sure if his continuously surly mood could stand the affable mood of the kitchen and whomever lay within.

Nymphadora and Black were perched around the table, mugs in hand and a tray of half-eaten chocolate biscuits in front of them. Remus was at the sideboard pouring himself more tea, shoulders shaking in silent accord to the mirth in the room.

He sidled in, watching the laughter ease from Nyphadora's face as he silently crossed the room. Stopping behind Remus, Severus put a hand to the small of the lycan's back and leaned beyond him to reach into the open cupboard for a mug.

Remus startled slightly, stilling underneath his touch before swaying backward on his heels just a fraction, their robes swishing together.

"What seems to be so humorous?" Severus muttered into Remus' ear, coaxing Remus to fill his glass with a slide of hand, still intimately close.

"Tonks was telling us about work," Sirius supplied, watching the two with a mildly critical eye.

"She tripped Minister Fudge into a lift," Remus helpfully added. He turned about in the small space between the side-board and the potion master to grin happily at Severus.

A bit of Snape's stomach flopped at the sight, though he forcefully told himself it was indigestion. He elegantly stepped from Remus' way and took up his own mug before raising an eyebrow at the pink-haired auror.

The woman cheekily smiled and shrugged her shoulders as if blaming her klutzy personality. The sparkle in her eyes gave her away.

"Of course, Kingley had to thoroughly dress me down while the lift doors shut." Tonks sparkled, hair tips growing vibrant yellow in her mirth. "Once it started moving, he practically fell over laughing!"

"Shaklebolt? I'm impressed," Severus intoned, sitting slowly at the end of the table as though waiting for the others to stand and leave. The others stayed seated, even sliding the tray of biscuits closer to his end of the table. A moment of complicated emotion warred in his chest and he squashed it for later inspection. "To what did Fudge earn such an honor?"

The metamorphagus stilled, mirth evaporating in an instant. "He was speaking to a subordinate about werewolf execution laws."

Remus stared into his mug, swirling the contents delicately. Apparently he had already been informed of such before Severus came to the kitchen.

"I was not aware there were any in existence beyond the usual self-defense theorem." Severus muttered, appearing aloof while his mind revolted and turned over pages upon pages of texts to help fight such a vile project.

"They don't," Tonks sighed. "I don't think he's really going to push them, at least not right away." She caught Severus' eye and her pixie face flattened with the serious tone of her voice. "He was seen speaking to Lucius Malfoy this afternoon."

The information filed away easily in Severus' brain. He did not doubt that Lucius would bend the Minister's opinions with gold lined gloves and galleon slicked smiles. However, depending upon whom he was bending it for would be a high-stakes matter. Severus had just carefully worded the question in his head when he caught Nymphadora glancing carefully at Remus.

Upon first glance the lycan did not appear unduly upset. As he set his mug to the tabletop Severus saw the tremor of his hands. Sirius, attuned so well to his best of friends, wrapped an arm possessively about Remus' shoulders and stroked the insides of the man's wrists with his fingertips.

"Kingsley's already spoken to the Headmaster. I'm sure it will be a topic of discussion tomorrow night at the meeting." Tonks mumbled into the pervasive quiet.

"I'll be sure to speak to Albus then," Severus replied, eyes only for Remus and Sirius. The animagus was muttering in low tones in Remus' ear. Remus would nod minutely with the syllabant hissing and Sirius' grip would tighten every few moments.

"Excuse me," Nymphadora stood and left with sideways glances.

Severus heard the bathroom door shut before he stood and edged the table.

Remus looked up at him with dull eyes as he approached.

He bent at the waist to stare levelly at the lycan and took hold of the man's shirt collar in one tight fist. "If you think I'm about to let Lucius Malfoy dictate yet another integral part of my life, you would be sorely mistaken."

Sirius looked more shocked than Remus where he hovered in Severus' peripheral vision. Remus smiled softly, the ends of his lips curling just so. "Integral part, huh?"

Severus felt the bite of a blush hit his cheeks and he grunted. "I had willingly chosen to bear the Morsmordre, and it was with Lucius' persuasive influence that I found the path to do so. I have not… regretted the choices in my life; they have taught me hard lessons that I am not soon able to forget. The consequences they've borne are my own, and I accept them as such. You… this," he waved between them with his free hand, "is the least of my sins and I will not allow others to make me regret it."

The air was heavy, Remus' licked his lips twice, the trembling of his hands no longer caused by Nymphadora's news.

"What about me?" Sirius interrupted their staring. Severus raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

Severus released Remus' collar, smoothing the wrinkles he had put there with gentle fingers. He caught Remus' eyes briefly and looked back at Sirius, his gaze guarded. "I wouldn't dare to presume to part an owner from his beloved mutt."

A brief chuff of laughter spilled from Black's lips. He smiled at Remus, but it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Of course, I would have much to say if someone made the attempt." Severus smirked as he locked eyes with Sirius. He twined a lock of Sirius' hair in his fingers, twisting it through his fingertips. "I haven't spent this long picking the fleas from your hide to let someone else enjoy it."

"So you're stuck with us then," Sirius smiled, face splitting wide, tongue half lolled out from between his teeth. Severus saw a remarkable likeness of the man's canine half.

"Unfortunately." Severus stood as the bathroom door clicked open.

He would have stepped back to his seat if two hands hadn't gripped his robes and prevented him from moving. He looked back across his shoulder to find Remus with a fistful of sleeve, and Black with a fistful of hem.

"You realize we couldn't possibly irritate polite society half so well without you?" Sirius winked, giving a brief tug on the robes.

Severus snorted.

"I'm not sure I'd even be alive at this point if it weren't for you," Remus murmured, fingers sliding up Snape's robe sleeve and stroking along the pulse point at his wrist.

To hell with Nymphadora, Severus thought viciously.

The chair rocked onto its back legs with the force Severus thrust his kiss upon Remus. The wolf squeaked in surprise, catching hold of Severus' robes to keep himself upright. Snape pulled back enough to look him in the eye and run his fingers across the scars on his cheek. Remus flinched, but didn't turn his face away. Pleased, Severus brushed a kiss across the scarred cheek and turned his intent gaze on Sirius.

The animagus didn't even pretend to be surprised or act even remotely shy. He wrapped both hands in Snape's hair and jerked him forward, bruising their lips on the impact.

"I—uh," Tonks stood in the doorway, smiling at them and blushing a little. Her hair changed several colors in rapt succession in her embarrassment. "You're good for each other." She told them softly. "A balance, I think."

Severus felt heat rush up his neck and tamped on it. "Stay for a while, Nymphadora, the Gryffindors are going spare stuck in a house with a Slytherin."

The metamorphagus grinned and took her seat.

Remus was frowning when Severus looked back at them. He spared the wolf a slight smirk and felt better when the wolf seemed to catch onto the joke and smiled back.

He refilled his mug with tea and mounted the stairs, pleased to hear the laughter return to the kitchen.

New problems, always something new to throw wrenches into the works. Severus frowned harshly as he returned to the room on the third floor. He took out fresh parchment and an inkwell and took sketchy notes on what he believed to be Lucius' and Voldemort's desires for werewolves.

The list grew in varying degrees. Lucius was winning.

Severus set down his quill and rubbed his thumbs against his eye sockets. The time had sailed past with his thoughts. It was nearing midnight and the candles in the room had burnt to nubs.

He had half a mind to go downstairs and see what the others were doing at such an hour of the night. When he stood, however, his back and shoulders told him it was a better time for a mattress.

The wardrobe opened with a slight squeak of hinges. The third drawer down on the right held pajamas—black satin things that felt fantastic against his skin after a night of crucio infested punishment.

Robes and trousers folded across the back of a chair and shoes kicked into the bottom of the wardrobe, Severus drew on his night clothes and curled into the crisp sheets.

By the time Remus and Sirius returned to the room to join him, he was already asleep.

…oOo…

Through a fog of slumber, Remus wrinkled his nose to light, fluttery touches to his cheek. It was nearly like being battered by moth wings, soft and breezy, barely-there strokes on his skin.

At first, he believed it may have been, but the heavy weight on either side told him that in all probability, it was one of his bunk-mates.

He was too sleep-laden to remember who lay on which side, but his intuition told him it was not Sirius. Sirius had always been heavy handed for as long as Remus had known him. He jabbed his meat and potatoes, gripped his wand with white knuckles, and fondled what he claimed with hot hands and firm fingers.

That left only one option…

A soft sigh spilled like a half-yawn between his lips. The ghosting fingers stilled and Remus smiled a little when he felt Severus' breath catch. Remus fumbled his hand beneath the covers, searching out Snape's chilled one and squeezing gently. "S'okay," he mumbled, turning carefully into the stiff form of the potions master.

The fingertips came again, a bit more conspicuous but still reverently gentle. Remus realized that Snape was stroking the faint scars that etched his face. Fighting a grimace, Remus started to turn his face away with as much nonchalance as he could muster at two o'clock in the morning.

"Don't," Severus muttered, palm curving to cover the scandalized cheek.

"I don't know what you mean—"

Severus grunted and squeezed hard enough to keep Remus from talking. The hold loosened once Snape knew Remus wouldn't turn away and he changed direction, stroking through the hair at the lycan's temples. Remus nearly purred and melted back into his pillows.

The pillows shifted and Remus felt a long, boney arm wrap his waist. Severus cinched him up tight until he felt his back pressed against the potions master's chest. His heart stuttered, slamming into chest. Any wave of sleepiness shattered into pinpoint awareness of where bits of thinly wrapped flesh pressed against him.

"Relax," Severus murmured into his ear. One large hand stroked lazily from chest to hip, never prodding into dangerous territory. It didn't matter. Such bold, ardent touching brought blood to the surface of his skin. Each subsequent stroke sizzled until Severus' fingers were glowing iron.

An inadvertent gasp ripped from Remus' lips. Severus' fingers curled hard in response, startled at the reaction. Remus had to grip Snape's hand, pulling it inches away from his skin so he could breathe properly.

"Sorry," Remus whispered, mortified. "It's just… been a while."

"Been a while for what?" croaked a yawning animagus.

Sirius turned sluggishly over, rolling onto his side to blink wearily through the dark.

"It doesn't pertain to you, Black," Severus grumbled, fingers flexing where they rested over Remus' heart.

The bed practically vibrated as Sirius' tensed up. "Should I leave you two alone?" He growled, propping himself half off of the mattress to glare down at Severus.

Remus gaped, feeling guilty.

"No," Severus purred. He felt Remus jerk in surprise. The anger bled from Sirius' face as Severus held a hand up, long fingers beckoning the animagus down. A lecherous grin curled Sirius' face and he fell atop the two of them, large hands propping him a breadth away from crushing the others and curled his tongue around Remus' ear. Remus shivered, mind bent beyond breaking and curled a hand around each man's thigh.

Severus grunted, Sirius panted in appreciation and dropped his weight across Remus' hips, dropping wet, openmouthed kisses to Snape's pursed lips.

Three, four… six wet kisses before Sirius rolled and lay face to face with the lycan. His fingers already encroaching past Remus' shirt-hem. His fingertips were like ice as they skimmed Remus' stomach.

Sirius sucked at the hollow of Remus' throat, ignoring the presence of the potions' master. Remus made delicious, breathy gasps as Sirius' explored—strong hands stroking across ribs, up the plane of his back, down the back of Remus' pajama bottoms.

Remus arched into the touch, a growl touching his lips that iced the heat out of his system. He sat up, hand over his mouth in shock. "I'm sorry, Pads, I didn't mean—"

"Remus," Severus snapped, sitting up against the headboard. He had lost his shirt some time while the Gryffindors were busy and the vague flush of arousal on his pale skin made Remus' cock twitch.

"Severus, I didn't mean—"

"You're not the only one who growls, Moony," Sirius breathed into his ear, fingers grasping at Remus' and rolling his hips.

Long, cool fingers curled across Remus' cheeks. Severus' face bobbed over his, eyes hooded and lips bitten. "If you don't want this, you may say so. Do not, however, assume we're ignorant to what lurks within you."

Nodding, Remus couldn't formulate a reply as Severus sucked his tongue into his mouth and Sirius breached the covering of his underpants.

Sirius moaned, face pressed to Remus' side. The thick of Moony's cock was searing into his palm, twitching in his hold. He could hear the pound of Remus' heart, a light sheen of sweat was gathering at the hollow of the wolf's stomach.

Through the thick of Snape's hair, he could see Remus' face pinched as if in pain. One hand was clutched in Severus' hair, the other was fluttering about on the bedspread. Sirius gripped tighter, teething on Remus' shirt and nipping against bits of flesh.

With each successive bite, Remus whimpered, gasped, then growled. Severus sat up to stare down and watch while Sirius nipped again. The body beneath them arched.

"Christ, Pads," Remus growled as he propped on his elbows.

"Did that hurt?" Sirius purred, fingers flexing, thumb pressing against the head of Remus' erection.

Remus' fingers dug deep into the mattress as he bared his teeth. "Do that again," he grinned.

Sirius obliged as Severus watched on. The potions master felt his bowels tighten as he watched them. Remus with his shirt rucked up to his armpits and disheveled; Sirius with his eyes gone violet and fist buried in Remus' pajama bottoms.

He was a bit out of his depth—in bed with not one, but two Gryffindors…Gryffindor men at that. Severus shifted back on the bed, back to the headboard and just let them be.

It was heaven. Sirius' hot breath across his chest, seeping through the cotton of his night-shirt; every intake of breath left a chill that made his flesh ripple in gooseflesh and pushed more blood to his already engorged flesh. "Stop teasing, Pads…"

A hard, gasping laugh ripped across parts of Remus' exposed stomach. "Don't make me rush, Moony," he whispered, fingers flexing as he began a steady stroke.

Remus screwed his eyes shut, biting his lip and realized he was a set of hands and hot breath short. It took considerable effort to turn his head to find the wraith in the shadows, hands clenching and unclenching a pillow he held pinned to his chest.

"Severus," the wolf huffed out, embedding one hand in Sirius' hair and dragging the other up the bed to curl around Snape's calf. Snape's hands stilled against the feather-down as he stared first from Remus' hand to his glowing amber gaze. Remus swallowed past a lump in his throat and ran his thumb in narrow circles around the tensed muscle of Snape's calf. "T-touch me, please."

Snape slid down the bed like a whisper of shadows, stretching out his lean form. He wedged himself beneath Remus' unoccupied side, burrowing his arm beneath Lupin's shoulders and easing his angular form beneath the warmth of Remus' flesh.

Remus felt his insides flip violently as Severus shifted beneath him, most of the potions master's body now blanketed with his own. A telling press of satin clothed steel pressed against his lower back. The glands beneath Remus' tongue puckered and flooded his mouth with saliva at the realization.

Sirius felt the shifting of bodies, bucked off kilter himself a moment as a foreign leg pressed next to Remus' between his own. He pinched another bit of flesh between his teeth to keep from groaning as his own aching cock found a pleasant groove between the pressed legs. He rutted pleasantly, his enthusiasm increasing his grip and pace of his fist.

A true, unrepentant growl curled and erupted from Remus' chest. He bent backward into Severus, bowed and pressing his shoulders and ass with unconscious intent. Severus hissed beneath him, the arm wormed from behind the wolf's back, curling around Remus' chest and holding him in place.

Remus' eyes snapped open, his hand in Sirius' hair clenching hard enough to tear whole chunks free.

"Ow! Fuck, Remus—easy on the hair, mate!"

The stroking slowed considerably as Sirius winced, feeling blood escape his groin and return as fire in his scalp.

Severus realized Remus was not breathing and began to extract himself. The lycan took a deep shuddering breath and clamped down on Snape's wrist, holding the man's arm tight in place.

"Sorry, Pads," he croaked, fingers shakily soothing the hurt he had caused before the hand slid to the blankets and fisted tightly there where it would do no more harm.

Sirius pressed a warm, wet kiss to Remus' jaw as he took up pace and resettled with his crotch perched happily against the groove of Lupin's and Snape's shins.

"Lupin," Severus intoned, fingers of his trapped hand drumming on Remus' ribs.

"Just," Remus breathed deeply, "hold tight."

And Severus did.

A deep-seated coil of dark, pulsing energy reared its head and practically pushed at Remus' skin. The wolf within chuffed, testing, struggling against the tight grasp that Severus had pinned him with.

"Tighter," Remus whispered with eyes staring vacantly at the canopy. The fire of his belly pushed to his groin and he felt Severus clamp upon him with more fervor, locking his free arm about the other so Remus was caught and caged in his arms.

Sirius was panting into his stomach, grinding wantonly against their shins and spit into his hand before redoubling his effort.

Remus bucked, the beast shifting forward. Severus felt the shifting of muscle against his chest that had little to do with the pleasure of oncoming orgasm and more to do with the straining advance of a darker lycan matter. He loosed an arm and curled his fingers around Lupin's throat; heel of his hand pressing against the wolf's pulse with fingers clamped enough to threaten mortal pressure.

The wolf inside of him stilled at the display of dominant aggression. Remus felt a whimper curl from his lips and Severus stroked his stubbled jawline with his thumb. The dark matter paused, receded and sat back as a voyeur as Sirius bit the tenderized flesh of his side again.

His mind cleared like a sharp blow to the head. Between the three of them they had managed to still the darkness in him as he could never have believed on his own—and three teenaged Gryffindor's never could. The elation of that knowledge coupled with the iron grip and calloused palm of Sirius Black pushed him over the edge.

He gasped and shuddered, fingers biting into the mattress until they burst through the fabric shell and he was left with spring tips biting into his fingers. "Jesus." He hissed, feeling his cock jerk violently in Sirius' grip. Severus' clutch of bone and sinew seared into his flesh. The potions master's thumb continued its soothing caress against his jaw, the ghost of lips grazing his ear.

"No offense Moony," Sirius panted, glancing up through his increasingly sweaty hair, "but… shove off."

Through the haze of bliss, Remus felt a spike of doubt cut through him. "What?"

Sirius extracted his hand from Remus' shorts and sucked a sticky finger into his mouth in a perverted pantomime of his early treatment of ice-cream. He rolled his hips happily against their shins once more before climbing up Remus and sucking the wolf's tongue greedily.

The doubt vanished to a hum of lazy arousal. Sirius pulled his head back, grinning soppily at the lycan. "Push over, Moony," he whispered, turning his head slightly and staring past Remus' shoulder to Severus.

Dawning lighted Remus' eyes and he winked at Sirius, squeezing the hand that still wrapped his throat and felt Severus let him loose.

He moved to the side, propping himself on a pillow to watch.

"We have unfinished business," Sirius muttered, fingers raking the naked expanse of Severus' chest and sides.

"Black," Snape huffed as a wave of unease made gooseflesh rise on his skin. This was the first true admission to his interest in Sirius with Remus as signed witness.

In a rare moment of sincerity, Sirius smiled lightly and caressed Snape's stubbled cheek with the back of his hand. "Just tell me when to stop," he whispered slowly grinding his hips against Snape's. Teeth grazed Severus' collarbone, the scruff of Sirius' jaw burned along his neck before his chapped lips touched Snape's ear. "And bite me."

For an anguished minute of pure rage, Severus thought he had been hideously tricked. But the continued grind of hips, the slide of Sirius' cock pressed tight beside his, the fingers stroking through his hair over-rode his first impression of the statement.

"Come on, Severus," Sirius bit out, breath hitching as the head of his erection found a prominent ridge on Snape's hip. "Bite me!"

Snape licked his lips twice, unsure, and latched his teeth into the round shoulder that rocked nearest his face.

Sirius hissed, hips jerking out of rhythm.

Remus groaned aloud at the look of pained ecstasy on Sirius' face. He had always found Sirius attractive, but Merlin, if the man made that face when he was flirting instead of his sideways smile, Remus knew he'd have devoured him eons ago.

"That goddamned strip-tease," Sirius growled, raking his chin around Severus' chest. "…damned aggressive flirt…"

Severus snarled and fisted his hands in Black's hair to jerk his head away from his flaming flesh. "Merlin, Black, stop grinding your beard into me."

"Then do something about it…" Sirius sneered.

Before he had time to regret the challenge, Sirius' hair was wound around Snape's forearm and he was bent backward until his hips felt like they would disjoint. His chest tightened at the angle and though his breathing grew labored and his head swam from the lowered oxygen, he felt his sac tighten and nearly came as Severus growled against his throat.

A strong hand fisted in Sirius' hair twisting his head back even further. Sirius' eyes snapped open to witness Remus hovering over him, eyes glowing in the dark. He licked his lips and snapped his jaws at the lycan, grinding his hips over and over against Snape.

His tongue was devoured, mouth plundered, breath stolen. Remus growled into his mouth, Severus jerked on his hair and drove his boney hand between their bodies and boldly fisted him through his pajama bottoms.

Sirius opened his eyes wide as he came in waves of heat and ice.

He collapsed bonelessly on Severus' chest as Remus drew away. He soggily slithered his way down Severus' body, grinding his chin across the pale skin and soothing it with his tongue on the way.

Severus bucked his hips, propped on his elbows and staring in disbelief. The animagus curled his fingers at the waist of Snape's pajama bottoms and jerked them far enough to free the wizard's erection.

Severus failed to suppress a huff of laugher as Sirius buried his nose in the thatch of curls at his groin—much as Black in mutt form had aspired to do earlier that evening. His laugh turned quickly to a groan and hiss as Sirius stretched the heat of his mouth around his sex.

It took an embarrassingly short time, four hard pulls of Black's swollen lips and a winding lycan hand barely brushing his skin.

Severus blinked away spots from his vision and eased his cramping fingers from Sirius' hair. The blissful agony of it all…

Black spat off the side of the bed, heaving his exhausted body up the mattress and collapsed at Snape's side. "Brill'." He absently pushed at a sweaty lock of hair, trying in vain to move it from his face.

Severus bit his lip, heavy contentment leadening his limbs. His fingers itched and his flesh was cold. He was practically ready to roll out of bed and run back to Hogwart's in panic, but Remus lay at his side, pressing a warm kiss to the center of his chest.

The affection startled his breath out and before he could constrain his base-emotions, he found his fingers stroking through Remus' hair. The lycan hummed in joy and settled in, drawing the blankets up over them.

Sirius rolled inelegantly into them, rocking all of them a little and yawned against Severus' shoulder.

Snape clenched his eyes shut, trying not to let the euphoria sweep him away like a rip tide. This was the reason he had not taken a regular liaison outside of random wizards and witches abroad. There, at least, his father's money had been good for something.

Against his better judgment—and before his mind even registered the goings-on—he tucked an arm around Sirius' shoulders and was stroking the animagus' back, nuzzling his nose against the man's scalp.

"I never took you for a cuddler," Sirius grinned into his shoulder, arching happily into the touches and winking at Remus.

"Shuddup, Black," Severus muttered with no venom. He continued to stroke Sirius' back and idly tracing the scars on Remus' back and shoulder.

Miraculously, Sirius did. In the sweat damp sheets in the middle of the twilight, Severus fell asleep with a blanket of Gryffindors and all was right with the world.