DISCLAIMER: While ownership of these sexy characters would be a beautiful thing, it is sadly not the case. I mean no harm...well, OK, maybe a little harm...by my playful manipulation of JKR's beautiful storyline and characters.

A/N: So I'm not as happy with this as I would have liked to be, because I feel slightly awkward writing threesomes. It sometimes feels like there's almost TOO much going on for it to be enjoyable. Anyway, I'm working on a longer threesome fic (along with the follow up to my HG/SB oneshot How to Made a Bad Idea Worse and continuing with my HG/RL long fic The Wolf and Little Red: A Hogwarts Love Story - shameless plug for you to check them out!) and that should be up here soon-ish. I figure I should at least finish my long fic first, though, so keep an eye out for new chapters!

ANYWHO...Please please please read and review this and my other stories, as I thrive on feedback. I'm a Capricorn, what can I say?

SUMMARY: Remus/Hermione/Sirius fic. Hermione agrees to organize a masquerade ball for the boys and finds herself in a compromising position when the two mischievous Marauders corner her in her room. Lemony goodness, all so keep away if you don't like/not old enough!

When the Masks Come Off

Hermione Granger gazed around the room in curiosity as she stood by herself in the corner. Her sightline was somewhat limited by the ornate burgundy and gold mask she wore, but she had a decent position from where she stood and she was content to sip her glass of wine and observe the festivities around her. She wondered at the circumstances that had brought her there, standing in a ridiculously elaborate costume at a masquerade ball.

She smiled slightly as she watched what she assumed to be Harry and Ginny Potter glide by. The pair was unmistakable. Harry's untidy black hair was visible despite his black satin mask, and Ginny's bright red hair and protruding belly seemed to give her away behind her own black satin mask. Their eyes fixed intently on the other, Hermione had to sigh in content at the perfection that was their relationship.

Ron Weasley's red hair stuck out like a sore thumb as he moved rather awkwardly with an indulgent Luna Lovegood in his arms. Luna looked particularly lovely that night, with a necklace of gold-dipped butterbeer corks the only hint to her eccentricities. Hermione had to chuckle at the idea of the two together. It was almost too perfect for words. They had been dancing around a mutual fascination for years and when that had finally turned into a mutual attraction, it was only a matter of time before it had developed into a relationship that made everyone around them absolutely sick. They could not keep their hands off each other.

Taking another sip of wine, Hermione thought back to how everything seemed to have fallen into place despite her initial hesitation to organize the party. Smiling, she shook her head slightly as the memory of her friends' pleading faces as they surrounded her almost constantly when she argued that her time needed to be spent elsewhere – though her job could have easily spared her the few hours she might have needed outside the normal free time she had. She had even gone so far as to flatly refuse to have anything to do with party and she smiled again as she remembered the day she had finally relented to Ron and Sirius's constant badgering.

FLASHBACK

"No, no, definitely not."

"Oh come on, Hermione. If not you, than who?"

"It's 'whom,' Ronald, not 'who.' And how about your mother? It's not like she doesn't have the experience planning one of these things."

"She's so busy planning Ginny's baby shower that she doesn't have the time. Plus, we don't want one of her stuffy garden parties, we want something fun. Please?"

Hermione sighed as her pleading ex-boyfriend stuck out his lower lip in what she assumed to be his very best puppy dog face. The look, however, was so utterly ridiculous with his big blue eyes, long nose, freckles and flaming red hair that the effect was lost as Hermione burst out laughing. Ron looked slightly affronted but ignored it as he allowed his friend to settle back down.

"Look, you have a sense of style, you know how to organize things, you won't put things off until the last minute and you're the only one in this house who can cook without the risk of killing someone. It's gotta be you, 'Mione."

"Firstly, Sirius has a better sense of style than I do, so that's out. Second, Remus is far more organized than I am. Thirdly, with all the work there is to do, putting things off is inevitable and you know how I hate it when that happens. And finally, Ron, if you had paid more attention to your mother while you were growing up, your culinary ability would far surpass my own."

"Alright, let's compromise. If Sirius and Lupin agree to help you, will you do it?"

"No."

Hermione could see Ron's ears start to turn red – a tell-tale sign that the simple discussion was going to turn far more complicated – but he seemed renewed as their unassuming best friend walked in the kitchen. His untidy black hair seemed to stand on end more than usual as his bright green eyes showed a fatigue that any man with a six-month pregnant wife and stressful day job would show.

"Harry! Thank God you're here. 'Mione's being so bloody stubborn. I need you to back me up in this…"

Harry silenced his friend quickly, listening intently at the door for a moment. Convinced of whatever he needed to be convinced of, he put his finger to his lips before collapsing exhaustedly in the chair next to Hermione.

"Hey guys," he whispered as he put his head on the table.

"Tired, Harry?" Hermione whispered back sympathetically. She knew the stress of being an Auror on top of worrying about providing for a new family was taking its toll on her friend.

"'Course he's tired. Look at him," Ron whispered before looking at the fatigued man. "Harry, why are we whispering?"

Harry sighed, looking up.

"I'm hiding from Ginny," he said, his voice slightly louder but still filled with exhaustion. "I don't think she knows I'm here but I don't wanna take any chances so don't say my name, alright?"

"Um…alright. But as a matter of interest, why are you hiding from your wife, my sister?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed again, laying his head on his folded arms on the table.

"She has yet to realize that I cannot shag six times a day and remain functional," he mumbled.

Hermione chuckled but Ron grimaced.

"Bloody hell, mate, that's my sister!" he said disgustedly.

Harry shrugged.

"You asked."

"Yeah, but…"

"Oh honestly, Ronald," Hermione interrupted, rolling her eyes. "The woman's pregnant. How do you think that happened, hmm? Immaculate conception?"

Ron muttered something along the lines of 'Didn't need the visual' but remained quiet.

"Who's conceiving? Ah, no need to explain," a merry voice said and the three looked up to see Sirius striding into the kitchen.

"Harry's complaining because Ginny's randy all the time and he can't seem to keep up with her," Hermione said with a grin at the handsome Marauder.

"Oh yes. I remember that phase. Not personally, mind," he said when all three arched their eyebrows. "But I remember your dad, Harry, in a pose very similar to yours in my flat twenty-two years ago."

Hermione chuckled as Sirius winked at her. The time since the war and the freedom that followed had done the older man good as his body quickly morphed back to the roguishly handsome form it had been before his incarceration in Azkaban. Though his grey-green eyes bore the scars of his imprisonment, he carried himself with a confidence they had not seen before.

"So," Sirius said, sitting with a cup of coffee next to Ron. "What were you two arguing about before my poor put-upon godson showed up, eh? Remus and I could hear your voices from the library."

"Ron has been trying to convince me to arrange that party you all want so much but don't have the brains to organize yourselves," Hermione said.

Sirius smirked.

"We just know that you're the right woman for the job. None of us would make it nearly as entertaining."

She rolled her eyes.

"You know the only reason you want me to organize it is so you can have a good laugh watching me pull my hair out trying to get it all together," she accused.

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I didn't say there weren't fringe benefits."

Harry frowned slightly.

"Ginny's baby shower is next week. Why do you want to have another party?" he asked.

"Because we want something fun," Ron said.

"With alcohol," Sirius added.

"And no dirty nappies," Ron finished.

Harry sighed.

"Fair point. What's the occasion?"

"They are celebrating the removal of that bloody portrait," Hermione said.

"Oh yeah, I noticed that was gone," Harry said thoughtfully, turning his head back to the kitchen door as if visualizing the now-empty wall.

Hermione, Sirius, Ron, and Remus had all finally decided that they had had enough of the screaming hag after another of Ginny and Sirius's explosive rows had left Mrs. Black screaming like a banshee for three hours straight. The removal itself had been nearly perfect in its accidental execution as all four inhabitants seemed to have the same thought at the same moment as each flung a different powerful hex at the portrait from different angles.

Ron, who had been standing in the doorway debating for several minutes whether he should escape the screaming by visiting Fred and George in Diagon Alley, had finally gotten fed up and the portrait shredded itself into tiny slips of canvas as he shouted 'Fragmento!' Hermione, who had been reading reports in her room, had leaned over the banister and had silenced the portrait as she shouted 'Silencio!' Remus, who had been reading in the library, had strode onto the stairwell and shouted 'Fractare!' which caused the wooden frame to splinter and hang limply against the wall.

Nonetheless, they all attributed the final nail in Mrs. Black's proverbial coffin to Sirius. He had been in the kitchen and, having already been riled up by his argument with Ginny, had stalked up the stairs and shouted 'Bombarda Maxima!' with the tip of his wand trained mere inches from the portrait. It had blown what was left of the portrait and a sizable chunk of the wall into the unsuspecting yet thankfully little-used dining room.

Sirius had insisted the hole in the wall remain unmended for a whole week as a testament to his house's new-found freedom.

He then decided he wanted a party, and so he and Ron had taken it upon themselves to convince Hermione to organize it. Sitting in the kitchen with both Sirius and Ron's expectant eyes on her, Hermione could feel a headache coming on. She didn't want to imagine all the things that could possibly be needed for a grand party at Grimmauld Place. The cost alone would have made any sensible being second-guess his sanity at the idea.

But then again, Sirius and Ron weren't what she would term 'sensible'.

"I really don't see the problem, 'Mione," Sirius said as she took another contemplative sip from her coffee mug. "I mean, money is no object and you can hire people to cook, decorate, and everything. The only things you'll really need to do are sending out the invitations and then show up."

"Sirius, I understand the concept of sanity is somewhat vague to you right now, but perhaps blowing your entire inheritance on a party to celebrate the removal of a portrait is not the best way to prove that you're not completely mental," she replied.

He grinned.

"Yes, well, who doesn't love an eccentric aristocrat?" She rolled her eyes and he chuckled. "C'mon, kitten. Do it for me. Please?"

He stuck out his lower lip like Ron and though the effect wasn't nearly as humorous, Hermione retained enough of her sense of dignity not to melt into a puddle as he had expected.

"No."

"Uh-oh. That sounded awfully definitive," an amused voice said from the door, and the four looked up to see Remus leaning against the frame.

"Moony! Come and convince our sassy little witch here that she is the only thing separating us from an amazing night of reckless frivolity," Sirius said to his friend.

Remus chuckled, walking over to them.

"I take it Hermione is steadfast in her refusal to plan the party?"

"I am resolute," Hermione replied, grinning at her former professor. Like Sirius, Remus had seemed younger now that he was without the overwhelming fear of imminent war. Though he still bore the scars and the salt-and-peppered sandy-brown hair that confirmed his lycanthropy, his face seemed fuller and his beautiful silver-blue eyes twinkled with a contentment he had not known for a long time.

"You know, I don't mean to join their side, 'Mione," Harry started in a way that Hermione knew he was going to anyway. "But Ginny could really use a night out that doesn't involve someone continuously asking her about the baby. I mean…if you were to have a party here, we could just relax, you know?"

Hermione sighed. Her best friend, the man she had spent the past ten years fighting the forces of evil and terror; the man she would follow to the ends of the earth and back; the man who she would gladly take an Unforgivable Curse for, had just pulled out the 'baby card.'

Bloody push-over.

"*If* I agree to do this," she started, her eyes flashing warning as Sirius and Ron started to look excited. "I will not do it alone."

"Of *course* you won't," Sirius said, but from the gleam in his eye Hermione knew that he would probably be more of a hindrance than a help.

"And I will not organize some lousy excuse to drink and shag. It will be a structured, organized, entertaining…"

"Boring," Ron interrupted, shooting Sirius a look that suggested Hermione may ruin that which they had striven to create.

Sirius chuckled.

"No, I agree. It needs to be structured. But not too rigid, love. You know how I like to behave badly."

She rolled her eyes.

"Damn Casanova," she muttered.

"There's an idea," Remus said, walking over and sitting on the other side of Hermione. "Why don't you make it a masquerade ball?"

Ron groaned.

"A ball? You can't be serious."

"Why not? Everyone loves a ball," Remus said with a slight smirk. He knew as well as anyone Ron's aversion to dancing.

"I actually like that idea," Sirius said contemplatively. "I wouldn't mind hosting a ball. Providing, of course," he continued with a somewhat wicked grin. "That I get to bring the most beautiful girl."

"Better get cracking on that, then," Hermione snorted, taking a sip of her tea. The whole idea was starting to grow on her. Even though she was sensible, boring Hermione, the little girl in her adored the idea of dressing up and dancing the night away.

"No need. The belle of the ball will inevitably be the girl I happen to live with," Sirius said, nodding to Hermione. "And as I assume I am the first to ask you, you have no choice but to accept me."

"Oh really?" Hermione replied with a laugh. "And where would you get *that* misguided idea?"

Sirius leaned in.

"'Mione, love," he said. "I'm Sirius Black."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head before a wicked thought came to her. Smirking at Sirius, she turned innocently to her former professor, who seemed most amused.

"As this is the twenty-first century and I am not entirely beholden to the arrogant man currently sitting across from us, I feel that I am capable of making my own decisions. Therefore, in the event that I don't spontaneously combust in the organization of this party, would *you* escort me, Remus?"

Remus smirked at the defiant expression on her face.

"I would be honored, milady," he replied, kissing the back of her hand gently before giving his best friend a triumphant grin.

"Wait a minute," Sirius said huffily. "I'm the master of this house. You're the hostess. It's only logical that we go together."

Hermione laughed.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"You've as good as."

"Well, fine. I suppose I'll just have to go with both of you then."

She had been joking, but she caught the mischievous look that passed between the two Marauders and her grin faded.

"Guys, I was kidding."

"No no, I believe we're more than happy to compromise," Remus said, arching an eyebrow to Sirius, who nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah. You're officially our date, Miss Granger. Now all you have to do is organize the damn thing."

Hermione sighed, laying her head in her hands.

"Merlin help me," she said.

END FLASHBACK

The next month was spent organizing what was slowly becoming the party of the year. Or, at least, that was what Sirius wanted people to think. He had wanted to invite 500 of their closest friends before Hermione had tactfully reminded him that while Grimmauld Place was indeed palatial, all the magical engorgement charms in the world would not allow 500 living, breathing people to comfortably congregate within it.

She had put her foot down when he had suggested they do an entire renovation of the building to accommodate the number.

Begrudgingly, Sirius pared his list down to 125, of which most were quite keen on attending. No longer upset at Hermione's insistence on making the number smaller, he took it upon himself to make outrageous suggestions about everything else. It took everything in her power not to hex him when he breathed over her shoulder about ice sculptures and 35-piece orchestras and a sit-down, 12-course meal. She finally asked him quite calmly if he would like to organize the night's festivities and deal with the issues that came up when the host has aspirations of a grandeur that logistics couldn't cover. She knew he had been tempted to take her up on the offer, but he didn't have the opportunity as Remus had very clearly stated that she was doing a fine job and told Sirius to leave her the hell alone.

Remus and the boys were as helpful as they could be, but after Ron nearly shattered a tray of crystal goblets while dusting them and Harry kept disappearing – most likely to a very demanding Ginny – when he was supposed to be cleaning, Hermione gave up and let her two best friends off the hook. Though Remus was infinitely easier to deal with – and she didn't mind watching his gorgeous back muscles flex and relax as he mopped the ballroom – she finally had to let him go as well when the chocolate fountain arrived and she kept finding large chunks of Honeyduke's Melting Chocolate missing every time Remus was around the kitchen.

Finally, everything had come together beautifully, including her costume, which she had forgotten about until the very last minute. Ron had mocked her soundly when she had been foolish enough to say in his presence that she had forgotten it was a masquerade ball. Sirius had come to her defense however, stating that if it hadn't been for her Ron wouldn't have the party he had spent so much time trying to convince her to organize. She had thanked him before flooing with Harry over to his house to raid his wife's closet.

Looking through Ginny's massive collection of clothes, Hermione briefly wondered whether her own modest wardrobe was enough to fully classify herself as female.

It took awhile for her to find anything, as Ginny was far less conservative than Hermione. Some of the costumes bordered on risqué and Hermione didn't want to think about what her best friend had thought when his wife had walked out of the closet wearing some of the outfits. Looking briefly at a uniform of a Muggle flight attendant, Hermione cringed knowing that perhaps some of the costumes were not necessarily for public appearances.

Ginny had finally stormed in – no doubt eager for the solitude that would enable her and Harry to strip and do the nasty – and had reached up onto a shelf to pull down a big brown box that had a smaller box on top of it. She had shoved them both wordlessly into her friend's hands and pointed unceremoniously at the fireplace. Unsure whether to laugh or argue, a look from Harry told her that she needed to comply, and quickly. Waving silently, she rushed to the fireplace and the green flames erupted just in time to see Ginny tackle her husband on their giant four-poster bed.

Hermione had laughed all the way from the fireplace in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place to her room on the third floor. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she opened the boxes, falling to complete silence when she saw what the costume was.

She had half a mind to go back to Harry's just to kill Ginny for even thinking she could wear it.

It was a beautiful dress, or what Hermione assumed to be a dress as she wasn't entirely sure there was enough material to constitute it as a dress. The satin cloth of the skirt was a deep burgundy color and separate the corseted bodice had gold laces that crossed the back down to just above her butt. All through the material was stitching of fine gold thread and were Hermione not so completely aghast that Ginny had thought it an appropriate costume for the evening, she would have been impressed by detailing of the dressmaker. A pair of dark burgundy fishnet stockings was nestled into the box. She assumed they connected somehow to the dress.

Unfortunately, as with everything Tonks, the young woman had decided to barge into the room at the precise wrong moment – in Hermione's opinion at least – and had caught sight of the dress before Hermione had time to shove it behind her back. Hermione tried to look as innocent as possible, but also like everything Tonks, the woman saw through it in a nanosecond. Smiling brightly, Tonks had swept into the room and made herself comfortable on the edge of the bed, facing her blushing friend.

FLASHBACK

"Wotcha, 'Mione! What's that you're hiding?" Tonks asked conversationally, her bubble-gum pink hair cut in short spikes.

"Nothing!" Hermione replied, though she immediately cursed herself for speaking so quickly.

"Clearly it's not 'nothing', or your hands wouldn't be locked behind your back. You see, I know from experienced that that's an awfully uncomfortable position to be in for long periods of time."

Hermione tried to hide a cringe. As much as she adored the older witch, she had to admit that visualizing Tonks with anyone, least of all her current boyfriend – Hermione's boss, Kingsley – in a sexually compromising position was not the most pleasant of passing thoughts.

"From the looks of it," Tonks continued, completely unfazed. "It seems to be a gown of some sort. Could it be your gown for the 'Grand Masquerade Ball a la Black' tomorrow night?"

"No," Hermione said quite definitively. "Ginny shoved this into my hands before kicking me out of her house today. I don't know *why* she thought it would be good for me because I can tell before even putting it on that it's not my type of dress."

Tonks tilted her head.

"How do you know it's not the right dress if you haven't even seen yourself in it?"

"Look at it!" Hermione cried, showing her friend, and for the first time she saw the whole thing up close. The bodice tapered down to the satin burgundy skirt that was short in the front but swelled to the floor at the back. It was a beautiful piece of clothing.

Tonks whistled.

"I dunno, 'Mione, I think it would look stunning on you."

Hermione arched an eyebrow.

"You cannot be serious."

"No, honestly," her friend replied, standing up and examining the dress closer. "You have a lovely tan and your hair and eyes would match the red perfectly. It's like…the perfect Gryffindor dress, you know? And everyone knows you're the Gryffindor golden girl. Did it come with a mask?"

"I guess so," Hermione said, walking over to the smaller box Ginny had thrown at her. Opening it, she gasped at the beautiful burgundy silk and gold inlay mask. It was studded with red stones around the edge and silk ribbon was attached to either side of the face, meant to hold the mask around the wearer's head.

"Bloody hell," Tonks murmured. "Harry's doing well, isn't he?"

"No," Hermione said, having a strange feeling that the dress wasn't a purchase. "I don't think Ginny would have bought something like this. The dress, yes, but the mask…"

"It was my mum's," a voice said, and two girls turned to see Harry standing in the doorway. He smiled slightly. "I asked Ginny what she gave you and she told me about that dress. I don't think she was thinking about the mask or else she wouldn't have thrown those boxes at you."

Hermione chuckled slightly.

"I see you were able to get away slightly unscathed."

Tonks smirked.

"Ginny still jumping you at every possible opportunity?" she asked.

He chuckled.

"Yes. Although I think she's starting to wind down. She seems to get very tired halfway through. I'm not particularly complaining, though Sirius tells me I should take full advantage of this because I'm not going to get shagged for a very long time once the baby's born."

The women rolled their eyes.

"My cousin wouldn't know the ins and outs of a marriage if they walked up to him and smacked him across the face," Tonks said.

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"She's right. I mean, Harry, you're getting your advice from a chronic bachelor who cannot keep his fly zipped up for more than two minutes in the presence of a good-looking blonde."

They all laughed before Harry's eyes fell on the dress. He arched an eyebrow.

"I would give good money to see you wear that, Miss Granger," he said with a smile.

"I know, isn't it lovely?" Tonks agreed.

"Since you're here, Harry, why don't you take it back to your wife? I'll just pop over to Hogsmeade tomorrow and see what I can find rummaging through the stores."

"I wouldn't venture to Hogsmeade tomorrow," Harry said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "It's a Hogsmeade day for Hogwarts students, and you know how those students *love* seeing one of the 'golden trio' on their own. It'll be a mob scene."

Hermione groaned. She had been to Hogwarts one time since her matriculation four years prior. Professor McGonagall had asked her to speak to the school in a very special History of Magic class. The whole event had been an unqualified disaster as students didn't care much about the logistics of the war as much as what Harry Potter was *really* like, or whether she suggested for everyone to take a year off between sixth and seventh year in order 'live life,' or her personal favorite, what was it like living alone with two *gorgeous* wizards for a whole year?

"I still can't believe I was asked what it was like to carry on a passionate love affair with Ron while on the hunt for dangerous dark artifacts. I suppose the fact that we didn't officially get together until *after* the final battle isn't really as entertaining."

Harry laughed.

"I think McGonagall was glad that you didn't answer the way you answered that one third-year girl who accosted you in Diagon Alley."

"What'd you say?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Well, she asked, rather snootily if you ask me, why Ron and I weren't still together after having that passionate love affair in the woods, and I said "Because Ronald Weasley and I shagged once before realizing that it was like sleeping with your brother and we decided that incest was not the correct path for magical beings of our standing."

"You should have seen the girl's face," Harry said, laughing. "It was priceless."

Hermione sighed.

"Well, Hogsmeade is out. What about Diagon Alley? Do you think they'd have anything suitable?"

Tonks shrugged.

"You could try. But honestly, 'Mione, why don't you just try on that dress? I bet you a galleon you'll love how you feel in it."

Knowing better than to argue, Hermione gave a resigned sigh as she motioned for Tonks to follow her. Picking up the dress, the two walked into Hermione's bathroom. Stripping down to her knickers, she pulled the corset on before stepping into the pool of fabric. As she buttoned the skirt to the bodice, she had to admit that she loved the way it felt against her skin. There was something very sensual about it.

Tonks pulled the laces as Hermione pulled the stockings on and snapped them to the garters that hung under the dress. Standing up, Hermione sucked in a breath, watching as he breasts seemed to grow before her very eyes. She had never worn a corset or a bodice before. She had never really needed to. She was happy with her figure and though her breasts weren't quite as large as those of her other female friends, she would not have traded them for the world. But the way this dress highlighted every curve she had, well…she wondered if Tonks didn't have a point.

"Wow, 'Mione," Tonks finally said, stepping back. "If you don't wear that dress I might just refuse to talk to you for the rest of your natural life."

Turning to the mirror, Hermione blinked a couple of times before registering that the reflection was, in fact, her. The woman in the mirror looked exquisite. Long chestnut hair fell in ringlets down her back and over her bare shoulders, the golden hue of which seemed to radiate against the burgundy and gold. Her breasts weren't bared as completely as she thought they would, but sat enticingly against the satin bodice. The front wasn't as short as she thought it would be, falling just above her knee, and the way the whole dress sat on her hips made her look both classy and sexy.

She cursed Ginny and Tonks for being right. She could not part from this dress.

Walking out to gauge Harry's reaction, she saw him looking at the books that were strewn absently on her desk. Clearing her throat, she saw him turn and she smirked slightly as his eyes widened. His eyebrows shot into his bangs and he shifted uncomfortably as his eyes trailed down her body.

"Jesus, Hermione," he mumbled, blushing as he turned away. "Where the hell have you been hiding?"

"I have a choker that would look amazing with that, Hermione," Tonks said approvingly before walking to the closet. A few seconds later, she appeared with a pair of burgundy peep-toe heels that Hermione knew she didn't own.

"Where did you find *those*?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just transfigured a pair of pumps you already had. I added a couple of inches and changed the color," Tonks replied, motioning for Hermione to step into them. She wobbled unsteadily for a couple of seconds but found herself more comfortable than she ever thought she would be in a pair of heels three inches higher than she was used to.

Turning back to Harry, she saw him smiling, shaking his head.

"Oh boy. Sirius and Lupin are really in for something," he said.

Tonks arched a playful eyebrow.

"Going with *two* sexy older men, are we, Hermione? Nicely done."

"It's not like that," Hermione argued, but in the back of her mind she knew that if it *was* like that with either of them she would not put up much of a fight.

"Well, I can tell you from experience, darling, that in a dress like that, Remus is not going to be able to keep his paws off you," Tonks said, grinning at her own word use. "And the night of the ball is just two nights before the next full moon."

"And I know for a fact that Sirius probably won't have much self-control either," Harry added.

"Actually, looking at you, *I'd* bang you," Tonks said decidedly.

Hermione laughed.

"Thanks, Tonks."

She smiled.

"You'll knock 'em dead, darling. Trust me."

END FLASHBACK

The actual reaction was more than even Tonks could have imagined. After Ginny had spent more time than necessary on her make-up – considering most of her face would be covered for the majority of the ball – and her hair, Hermione had shyly emerged from her room and walked carefully down the stairs. Her two dates were waiting at the bottom, talking to Harry and Ron, but they both fell silent as they saw her start to descend.

Hermione had to admire how well the two men cleaned up. Sirius, who was standing closest to the bottom of the stairs, was dressed all in black, his firm, lean body outlined beautifully in the tailored tunic and linen pants he wore. His hair was slicked back, wet from his shower, and his grey-green eyes were covered by a simple – yet undeniably sexy – black silk mask.

Remus had dressed all in white, and though broader and slightly shorter than his friend, his frame was nonetheless equally as delicious beneath his suit. Like Sirius, he had chosen a simple tunic and pant set, but his beautiful silver-blue eyes were off-set by a matching silver-blue mask that covered the top half of his face.

Hermione smirked. She had a white knight and a black knight to escort her to the ball.

"My God, woman," Sirius had said as Remus slipped past him to offer her his hand as she descended the last few steps. "You will be the death of me tonight."

"I suppose I shall have to take that as a compliment," Hermione had teased, but brushed her lips over Sirius's cheek in thanks.

Remus smiled kindly at her, but she saw a lustful fire ignite in his eyes.

"You look breathtaking," he said softly, bowing slightly as he took her hand and let his lips linger over her knuckles.

Hermione felt a thrill travel down her spine and pool at her loins.

"Jesus Christ," Ron cried loudly, jumping slightly when he saw her. "Why didn't you ever wear anything like that when we were dating, 'Mione?"

"Because I wouldn't want to ruin you for other women, Ronald," she teased, eyeing Luna. The young woman simply smiled, running her hand down her boyfriend's arm slightly to bring his attention back to her. That was something Hermione had always liked about Luna. She was never jealous or possessive, but she got what she wanted no matter what.

Ron, Luna, Harry, Ginny, and Tonks all went into the ballroom first, leaving Hermione and her two dates alone in the hallway to greet the guests that would be arriving soon. Hermione felt a rush of pleasure every time one – or both of them – would brush past her to open the door or to greet someone. More than one person, including – much to her chagrin – Kingsley, had commented on how lovely she looked. She even registered a moment of surprise in Arthur Weasley's face as he and Mrs. Weasley had entered the foyer.

"Hermione, dear, you look simply gorgeous," Mrs. Weasley had gushed, though Hermione could see a slight look of disapproval on the older woman's face at the immodesty of the outfit.

Hermione didn't feel the need to mention that the dress had been borrowed from her daughter.

So there she was now, sipping her wine as she watched the happy couples dance to the 12-piece orchestra that Sirius had insisted on having. She was glad that Sirius had convinced her to order more wine and firewhiskey. From the looks of it, the supplies she had ordered originally would have definitely dwindled within the first hour.

"May I have this dance, milady?" a deep, raspy voice asked from behind her and Hermione turned to see Remus looking down at her. His eyes sparkled with amber flecks that she hadn't noticed before.

"Absolutely," she replied with a smile, putting her glass down and taking his outstretched hand and walking to the dance floor.

She had discovered that both Remus and Sirius were divine dancers. They both led her with such grace that she had to wonder where they had learned their technique. She was sure, however, being the lady-killers they had been at school, that dancing probably came just as naturally to them as anything else in life.

"I know I've said this before, 'Mione, but you really do look exquisite," Remus whispered in her ear as he held her just a bit tighter than necessary. "And I'm finding it very difficult to distract myself from you."

"Why would you want to be distracted from me, professor," she whispered back in a way that no student should ever address their professor.

"Because I'm afraid of what I would do to you if you gave me the opportunity," he growled slightly, nipping lightly at her exposed neck as she shuddered at the thought of this man pinning her to whatever available surface they could find and shagging her senseless.

They danced together for a few more minutes, Remus occasionally nipping and sucking at her bare neck, before Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she swung easily into the outstretched arms of Sirius Black, who smirked slightly at Remus. Clearly, the werewolf was not keen on letting her go quite yet.

"You've got Moony a bit worked up there, kitten," Sirius murmured in her ear as they fell easily into step with everyone else. "If you're not careful, you'll steal his heart."

"Do I detect an ounce of jealousy, Mr. Black? Unwilling to share your best friend with little old me?" she teased. Though she was certain that both men were undeniably straight, they all liked to tease the two about the more-than-platonic, less-than-sexual nature of their relationship.

"Jealousy? Oh kitten, you don't know the half," he said with a grin before leaning in to whisper: "I would give up breathing for a night alone with you."

"Oh really? Breathing is awfully important. Tell me, what would you do with me if you had me for a night?" The words came out before she could stop them, and she briefly wondered if Ginny hadn't charmed the dress into making it's wearer a bit more brazen than normal.

"Care for a demonstration?" he asked.

"Right now? But there are so many people here, Sirius. We couldn't leave the guests," she said, smirking slightly.

"I don't care," he breathed before catching her lips with his, ignoring everyone on the dance floor.

Hermione felt her breath hitch in her throat. This was unexpected. She had been prepared to seduce one of the Marauders – she wasn't entirely concerned with which – but now she had both and she wasn't sure she could deal with just one. Remus's nipping had driven her crazy just moments before but Sirius's lips…well…'wicked' was an understatement for what those lips were doing to her mouth at that moment.

She felt hands on her waist and she pulled away to see Remus looking down at her again. She was seconds away from catching his lips with her own before she realized that she was standing on the dance floor sandwiched between two older men with a shocked Mrs. Weasley not three feet away. Catching her breath, she smiled shyly at both of them and stepped back to the side, almost colliding with Kingsley and Tonks.

"Hello Hermione," Kingsley said politely, though a smirk was playing on his lips.

"Watch it," Hermione warned, grabbing a glass of champagne off one of the trays that were charmed to float along the edge of the dance floor. "You may be the Minister of Magic but I can hex your balls off as soon as look at you if you're not careful."

She knew she was lucky that Kingsley was such a good friend, because she was certain that no other subordinate would have dared to address Kingsley like that.

"That was an interesting display," Kingsley continued to bait, knowing fully that Hermione may threaten dismemberment but would never go through with it. "You have both Lupin and Black panting madly over you and yet you are still able to walk away without a lecture from Molly."

"Oh, just wait. It's coming," Tonks said, nodding over Hermione's shoulder as the red-headed witch weaved through the crowd of people towards them.

"Wotcha, Molly," Tonks said loudly as Mrs. Weasley bustled over, looking quite put out.

"Hello Tonks, dear," she said absently before turning her attention to the witch she had been seeking out. "Hermione, dear, I was wondering if I might have a word."

"I…um…" Hermione looked at Kingsley and Tonks for help, but trained Aurors though they might be, neither of them would risk the wrath of Molly Weasley.

"Only a moment," Mrs. Weasley insisted, grabbing Hermione's hand with a grip that belied the woman's gentle motherly appearance and pulled her out into the deserted foyer.

"Mrs. Weasley, I can explain…" Hermione started, but she was cut off.

"Hermione, dear, you are twenty-one years old and I don't pretend to think that my words really have any bearing on how you conduct yourself but please remember that Sirius and Remus are both much older than you and much more experienced and may come to expect things that you might not be ready to offer."

Hermione bit her lip as she thought back to her own sexual history. Though definitely not as colorful as Tonks' or as experimental as Ginny's, the fact that Hermione had slept with four out of the six Weasley brothers would have been enough to shut up the blustering woman in front of her.

"Now I know that you're young and you're curious, but experimenting with a man like Sirius Black will only get you into trouble. And as much as I love Remus, he is…troubled. And dear, they are both twenty years older than you!"

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said with a small smile. "You know that I love and adore you as one of the only mother figures I've had for these past ten years, but as you said, I am twenty-one years old and as much as I appreciate your thoughtful advice, I will end up doing what I please anyway and if I decide to…experiment…with either Sirius or Remus, that is really my own business."

She had meant the words to be gentler than they actually were, but whether it was a mixture of the alcohol or the lust or just the final straw of Molly Weasley's incessant meddling, the words came out a little blunter than intended. Mrs. Weasley, however, seemed to expect a reaction like the one Hermione was giving, so instead she changed tactics.

"Well, alright, if you decide to dabble with them that is your affair," she said with an indulgent smile that was pressed so tightly along her lips that it was almost like a grimace. "But please be mindful of your surroundings, dear. You wouldn't want anyone at the party to get the wrong idea about you."

She smiled slightly before walking back into the ballroom, leaving Hermione burning with embarrassment and anger. She had been enjoying the party immensely before that infuriatingly conservative mother figure had doused her with a bit of reality. She wasn't entirely sure which was more infuriating: the fact that she had been pulled away from the arms of two very attractive men or the fact that she had been caught in a compromising position in the middle of a party filled with people whose respect she craved.

"Hermione," Harry's voice carried into the hall and she turned to see him walking out of the ballroom towards her.

"It's almost midnight. Lupin and Sirius want you to join them on the band platform for the formal announcement."

He had a smug smile on his face that told her that he had both seen what had happened on the dance floor as well as Mrs. Weasley's reaction. Hermione glared at him.

"You better wipe that smile off your face, Mr. Potter, or I'll tell Molly about that flight attendant costume Ginny has in her closet," she hissed.

A flicker of fear crossed his green eyes but he remained silent.

Hermione walked up to the platform where Sirius and Remus were waiting for her. Remus's arm quickly looped its way around her corseted waist, while Sirius draped his casually around her shoulders. She wondered if anyone could see the way both of their fingers were gently playing with the curves of her body: one on her hip, the other on her bare shoulder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards, lords and ladies," Sirius's magically magnified voice boomed and the 12-piece orchestra gave a small drum-roll as the room fell into an excited silence.

"In the event that you, like me, have thoroughly enjoyed this evening, I would like to introduce the heavenly young witch who made it all possible. We all know her as that sexy little know-it-all who makes the best-looking third of the Golden Trio; please give your warmest applause to Miss Hermione Granger."

Everyone applauded loudly as Hermione blushed, slapping Sirius's shoulder for his comment. She waved shyly and felt comforted by Remus's arm, though the small circles he was making with his fingers on her satin-covered hip were doing nothing for her concentration. Sirius, not to be outdone, ran his long fingers up and down her arm, and she swore she saw him smirk as goose bumps appeared on her smooth skin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, glad that the tremor she was sure would appear in her voice was nonexistent. "As it is now twelve o'clock, you may feel free to remove your masks and vehemently chastise whichever Weasley twin managed to secretly charm your mask into sticking to your face." Hermione cast a meaningful glance at Fred's grinning face. He and George looked at her innocently but she could see Mrs. Weasley scanning the crowd for the hapless victims of her son's mischief. Luckily, the only victims were the twins own brothers, and Hermione had to grin as the two ginger-headed trouble makers disappeared as Bill, Percy, and Ron looked around helplessly at their giggling dates.

"May I remove your mask for you, milady?" Remus whispered in Hermione's ear. Swallowing hard, Hermione nodded, and she felt his gentle hand run up her back before untying the mask. She let it fall into her hands, blinking as she readjusted to full sight.

"May I remove the rest of your clothing for you, milady," Sirius murmured, causing her to blush.

Fortunately Ron, who had been able to remove his mask after threatening one or both of the twins with bodily harm, walked up to her and without a word, swept her into his arms onto the dance floor.

"I saw my mum giving you an earful," he said with a grin as they moved in relative comfort along the dance floor. Hermione could smell the firewhiskey on his breath and had to admit that a drunken Ron Weasley was an infinitely better dancer than a sober Ron Weasley.

"She's worried that Sirius and Remus will corrupt my innocence," she said with a grin, knowing that Ron had been the first to take the step in her corruption.

"I believe your innocence was shattered well before those two started panting over you," he replied, matching her grin with a sloppy one of his own.

"Sometimes I just wish she knew that I had slept with you."

Ron smirked.

"Me. And Fred. And George. And Charlie."

"All within perfectly acceptable junctures of time thank you very much," she said, though she blushed slightly.

He laughed.

"I was amazed that you actually slept with Charlie. I was beginning to think that he had an unnatural obsession with his dragons that took him to certain unspeakable levels of unhealthy…"

"Stop," she said sternly. "Charlie is very shy and he doesn't like being badgered by women. But he is very much a fan of the fairer sex."

"So you've led me to believe," he said. "But I'm sure the fact that he was stuck with you in a tent in Romania for a week couldn't have been the worst situation either."

*RIP*

"Oh my God! Hermione, I'm so sorry!"

Hermione cringed as she heard the desperate voice of Neville Longbottom. She hoped against hope that the dress hadn't ripped in a place that would be potentially more embarrassing than her behavior earlier that night. Leave it to Neville to unintentionally cause even more prospective mortification. He was the one person she knew she could never really get mad at.

Examining the dress, she was relieved that the tear was only at the bottom of the skirt, thus not revealing anything that ought not to be revealed. She smiled kindly at her friend's round, stricken face.

"Don't worry, Neville. I'll just pop up to my room to fix it. Won't take more than a few repairing charms. It's not a problem," she assured before excusing herself from a laughing Ron and hurrying out of the ballroom.

She rushed up the stairs and didn't bother to check whether her door closed as she nudged it while she worried about the skirt. Thinking that the best way to deal with the issue was to just remove it completely from the bodice, she unbuttoned it and let it pool at her feet, stepping out of it before bending down to pick it up, trying to figure out how to repair it quickly and effectively.

"Now this is a sight I wouldn't mind coming home to, eh Moony?" a deep voice said from the doorway and Hermione jumped as she saw Remus and Sirius leaning against her doorframe. She tried to cover herself up but realized all-too-suddenly that the attempt was useless.

"Oh don't you dare, love," Sirius growled, walking over to her in two long strides and pulling her against his body, pinning her hands to her sides. Behind Sirius, she saw Remus walk into the room and close the door, locking it before warding it with silencing spells.

Her blood was racing now. She was stuck in a locked room with two sexy wizards and her survival instincts were not kicking in. This was no fight or flee situation. Hell, she would be lucky if she didn't jump into their arms and beg them to fuck her into oblivion.

"Well gentlemen," she said, her voice slightly husky with her arousal. "Now you have me. What are you going to do with me?"

It was Remus's turn to growl as he stepped behind her, pressing his growing erection into her lace-clad backside. She jumped but closed her eyes with a gasp as he dipped his lips to her shoulder, nipping and sucking at it with an intensified vigor. His hands wound around her waist, cupping her hips.

Sirius took advantage of her slightly-parted lips to crash his against hers in a searing, bruising kiss. Hermione gasped again, one of her arms circling his neck to grasp at his shaggy black hair while the other reached behind her, circling Remus's back and pulling him closer.

Somehow, Sirius was able to slide his hands behind her to deftly undo the laces of her corset. With agonizing slowness, Remus's hands slid beneath the material to travel up her torso, cupping her breasts as Sirius unsnapped the garters and pulled the piece of clothing off her body.

One of them, she wasn't sure which, growled loudly at the visual of her standing in the middle of the room wearing nothing but lacey black underwear, fishnet thigh-high stockings, and heels. She knew that she was the very picture of immodesty – her head was tilted back to enjoy Remus's ministrations to her neck while the rest of her body stood unblushingly for Sirius's appreciative eyes. As Remus tilted her head to catch her lips in a soul-searching, knee-weakening kiss, Sirius pulled her tight against his body so she could feel just exactly she was doing to him.

Sirius's lips did not remain idly at her neck and shoulders as Remus's had been. Sirius was voracious, and his wicked lips moved smoothly over her skin and Hermione felt like they were everywhere at once. As he took a nipple roughly in his mouth, she moaned, but Remus's lips were too addictive, too searching, too perfect for her to turn away.

Sirius's hands traveled up her stomach to cup her breasts, teasing one nipple while his lips, tongue, and hot mouth savored the pebbled hardness of the other. Remus's hands, large and commanding, moved south and she grasped behind his head as his fingers slipped into the soaking wet cloth of her underwear to cup her sex.

"She's so wet, Padfoot," Remus breathed, pulling away from her lips to look at his friend. He then brought the fingers to his lips, tasting her before growling. "And she tastes heavenly."

"I suppose we'll have to do something about these then," Sirius said playfully, his eyes never leaving Hermione's as he knelt down and slowly rolled her panties down her hips, watching as they fell to the floor. She stepped out of them, kicking them impatiently into a corner.

Both Remus and Sirius stepped away, gazing at her with hungry, lust-filled eyes. She must have been quite a sight, she thought, standing there in those sinfully-high heels and stockings and a burgundy velvet choker, her hair in wild curls from both men's none-too-gentle mussing. She held their gaze with her own eyes, which she was certain were filled with nothing short of deepest desire.

"One of you – I really don't care who – better touch me or I swear I will start without you," she hissed, starting to run her hands over her own body. She never thought she would be so wanton, so brazen as she cupped the swell of her breasts and slid her hands down her skin and over hips.

"I don't know, kitten. That's a threat I think we might not have a problem watching you go through with," Sirius said, half-joking though the thought of her touching herself so sensuously was making them both harder than they had been before.

Smirking, Hermione backed toward the bed, her hands still running up and down her body, teasing her nipples the way she liked it. As much as she loved sex – and she was certain she would love sex with both of the men standing in front of her – she was a women who knew what she liked and though there was no substitute for the real thing, she knew how to pleasure herself in a way that definitely satisfied.

She lay back on the bed, moving with a cat-like grace up to the pillows. Letting her fingertips trace a path down her body, she let a little moan of anticipation escape her lips as her fingers found her clit. Biting her lip, she let her fingers run slow circles around the nub of nerves, watching the two men through hooded eyes.

She didn't think two men could ever disrobe so quickly.

Remus came to her right side, claiming her mouth again with his as his hands pushed her fingers aside and let his own rough fingers slowly tease her clit. Sirius pounced onto her right side, taking a nipple in his mouth as he thrust a finger into her heat, causing her to arch and moan.

Remus nipped down her neck and shoulders to the nipple that Sirius had been ignoring – probably purposefully – and latched onto it with his lips, biting softly before circling the nub with his tongue. Hermione gasped, a knot immediately coiling in her stomach. The idea of their lust-filled encounter, the three of them entangled together in a ménage a trios of indescribable sensuality, pushed her over the edge and she cried a mangled mixture of their names as she came hard, her back arching off the bed as her hips bucked against Sirius's talented fingers.

"So bloody stunning," Sirius whispered, kissing down her body toward her trembling center. "So fucking tight."

"So beautiful," Remus whispered, nudging her nose with his before kissing her deeply.

Remus's kiss caught her off-guard as Sirius started to slowly lap at her sensitive nub. Perhaps it was the gentle nature of it after the purely carnal actions both men had performed that evening. This side of Remus had lips that were soft and sweet. He was more curious than ravenous, probing her mouth with his tongue and dancing shyly with hers. A small sigh escaped her lips as he wrapped his arms around her securely, almost covering her upper body with his torso.

Sirius was not to be ignored, however, and a moment later she gasped as he nipped at her clit, bringing her attention to his actions. He chuckled as her hands flew to his hair, gripping the silky black locks tightly as she arched her back again. Watching as Remus gently kissed her body, Sirius let his tongue glide up her slick folds to her clit again, nibbling it and receiving a strangled cry from the writhing witch.

Hermione knew Sirius's lips were sinful but it wasn't until her full attention fell on his actions to her cunt that she truly, truly appreciated just how deliciously talented he really was. His tongue was performing miracles she never thought humanly possible. It was on her clit, licking her folds, thrusting within her…it made her dizzy with desire. Sirius's inexplicable omniscience to just how she liked it – the torturous slow build followed by a frenzied sweep – was killing her slowly until she gave in and all the tension that had been building within her snapped in beautiful, earth-shattering release.

"God you're lovely when you cum," Sirius growled as he kissed up her body before catching her lips with his. She could taste herself – musky and salty – and it turned her on in a weird way. She could feel Remus running his hands over her skin but she squealed as he lifted her up, giving Sirius room to shift beneath her, before dropping her unceremoniously on top of the grinning raven-haired wizard.

She wondered briefly if they had done this before with an equally-willing witch.

"A knut for your thoughts, beautiful," Remus whispered in her ear as Hermione tried to calm herself. She was straddling Sirius's waist, his erection very present against her butt, and her hands were absently caressing his hard abdomen muscles as she mustered all of her control back.

Looking into Remus's eyes – which had changed to a startling blue flecked with amber – she gave her best come-hither gaze.

"I was thinking what it would be like to have your gorgeous cock in my mouth as I rode Sirius into oblivion."

She could hear both men suck in a breath at her words. Little Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's golden girl, swotty little know-it-all and brainy bookworm, was unflinchingly offering things that no respectable witch would dare to think about without blushing. This…sex kitten...that had appeared, however, was proving that she was worth the plotting, scheming, and nightly erotic dream that both men had entertained for the past month.

Both were motionless, so she took the initiative and spun herself around, her back to Sirius as she lowered her body onto his throbbing erection. He groaned loudly, unprepared for just how tight she was and how good she felt around him. Gripping her hips, he stopped her movements while he reigned in whatever ounce of self-control he could in order to stop himself from cumming right then.

Hermione let out a groan at the feeling of being so incredibly filled by one of the very well-endowed men that surrounded her. Looking up at Remus, she managed a very convincing arched eyebrow despite the fact that she felt her command of the situation slowly slipping away. He took this silent command to approach her, still in slight awe at just how wanton she was.

Starting to rock back and forth on Sirius, Hermione took hold of Remus's cock. Slightly thicker than Sirius's, it was a beautiful sight and she unconsciously licked her lips as she eyed him. He groaned at the back of his throat, watching her with hooded eyes as his long lashes nearly hid his steely-azure gaze. Watching him watch her, she ran her tongue up the silky member.

Smirking, she watched him throw his head back, his hips arching slightly into her. The power she had was intoxicating and she heard Sirius groan as she unconsciously tightened her inner walls. He gripped her hips, starting to piston his own off the bed, thrusting hard into her. She took a second to moan appreciatively, her hand never leaving Remus's hard dick.

Taking the tip into her mouth, she slowly swirled her tongue around him and loved how his breath hitched. Her concentration was starting to split, however, at the insistent pull her body had to Sirius's calculated thrusts. She tried to focus, her mind on pleasuring Remus, but she couldn't help the small moans that were leaving her mouth involuntarily as Sirius bucked within her.

"Jesus…" Remus muttered, his eyes drifting closed as she pulled back slightly to blow on the wet tip. She smiled as she felt the shudder run through his body.

"Remus," she whispered, looking up at him. He barely opened his eyes to look at her. She caught his gaze and smirked. "Keep your eyes open, lover."

She saw him swallow hard as a particularly hard thrust made her moan, her eyes fluttering closed as she ran her hands up her sides and over her aching breasts.

"I…" Remus whispered, but the words were choked back as she took hold of him again, slowly stroking him as she calmed herself from the delicious sensations stirring in her belly.

"I want you to watch me as I make you cum," she whispered. "I want you to watch me as Sirius fucks me. I wanna cum and feel you cum at the same time."

He pried his eyes open and she smiled, nipping at the small line of soft hair under his navel before she took him back into her mouth. She swirled her tongue languidly around his tip before licking up and down his shaft. She looked up at him as he watched her, one hand gripping her hair and the other white-knuckled against one of the posts in the corner of the bed. She smirked at the look of desire and pleasure in his eyes, holding the base of his cock with one hand as she slowly brought as much of him into her mouth as she could. He was much too big for her to take him all, but her desired effect was the same.

"Dear God, woman…" he groaned, his fingers digging into her curls. She brought her other hand to his balls, feeling them tense at her touch. She caressed them, running a finger softly along the line of skin between his balls and his anus.

He jumped.

"Holy…" he moaned, his eyes closing again as his grip on the post tightened.

Sirius couldn't help but be transfixed by the look on his friend's face. While he and Remus had never been physically intimate, there was something arousing about the look of complete pleasure on the werewolf's face. It made Sirius buck harder against the woman above him, finding himself getting desperate for release but not wanting to part from the tight, wet heat around him.

Hermione moaned, briefly ignoring Remus as she moved against Sirius's thrusts. Remus, however, grabbed her arms with a rapidity that surprised her and stalled her movements.

"Sirius, if you distract her one more time, so help me I will kick your ass myself," Remus growled in a low, dangerous tone that Hermione had never heard before. It sent a shiver down her spine and she glanced back at Sirius to see a smirk cross his handsome face.

"But she feels so good…" he groaned. "So hot and so tight…"

He didn't get to finish as one graceful movement had Hermione off Sirius's lap and on Remus's. The movement surprised but did not deter Sirius, who moved to allow his friend to lie back against the pillows, Hermione on top of him. Grinning, Remus lifted Hermione up and onto his throbbing cock, causing her to gasp and moan loudly as she felt a delicious stretch.

She gazed into his eyes as she started to ride him, feeling her orgasm approaching quickly as he thrust against her, matching her speed with intensity. His eyes were almost completely amber now, filled with lust and hunger that she couldn't help but claw her fingernails down his chest and abdomen, leaning forward and kissing him deeply.

This was the motivation Sirius needed. Snaking a hand around her back, Remus held her steady as Sirius positioned himself behind her, kneading her ass with his hands and gently swatting the pale flesh. She moaned in anticipation and paused in her movements as she felt something large and blunt at her asshole. Sirius ran a gentle hand down her back, causing her to shiver and relax, before pistoning his hips forward and into her.

All three of them groaned loudly, the two men feeling the tight, vice-like grip around them as they adjusted to sharing her body. Hermione was on the verge of unconsciousness as she felt deliciously filled.

Then, they both started moving in synch and she felt all of her self-control and her inhibitions and her general sense of decency fly out the window as she moaned wantonly, moved brazenly, and held on for dear life as an intense, unprecedented wave of pure, unadulterated passion crested and threatened to break over her. It seemed to hover as both men thrust slowly, letting her adjust to the feeling of them.

But she was done with that.

She needed the release. She had craved it all night – the idea of cumming from the talents of one of them being most present in her mind before the ball. Now that she was set to explode due to the talents of both of them, she was ready for it. She almost taste her need as she arched her back, a coil knotting itself again in her stomach for a delicious moment before she lost all power over her body and her vocal chords.

She screamed.

Never before had an orgasm hit her so hard. Their names on her lips were almost prayer-like in their repetition. She forgot how to breathe. She was trapped in an Oz-ian vortex of lurid colors and sensations that her body had never experienced before. Stars appeared before her eyes as she heard both men grunt loudly as they tried to maintain some semblance of their own self-control.

"'Mione," Remus gasped, and she could see the muscles in his abdomen contracting as he tried to control himself. "You're an angel…"

"Bloody gorgeous she-devil," Sirius groaned, his hands digging into her hips as she felt him shaking slightly.

The idea that her orgasm was causing such reactions from both men pushed her headlong into another orgasm, her body barely recovered from the intensity. This time, though, she knew the way her walls clenched the men was entirely too much for them. They crested the wave together, taking turns in their moans of ecstasy. First him then her then him then him again, starting the cycle until all three bodies, sweat-covered and deeply sated, collapsed in a heap of entangled limbs and knotted hair.

None of them spoke for a few minutes, and Hermione wondered if they, like her, were thinking about the reality of their actions. They had just shared an intimacy that had been so easy between the three of them. These things, however, never stayed easy for long and she wasn't certain whether she could let them both go after one tantalizing taste of what they had to offer.

She was hooked.

Sirius, however, was able to clear any growing tension out of the air.

"Holy fuck, Hermione, where the hell did that come from?"

The comment seemed so harmless, yet the fact that he was collapsed against her back while she was collapsed against Remus set off the odd side of her sense of humor. Her chuckle turned to deep belly laughs as she realized just how ridiculous they must have looked, though she didn't rule out how sexy they looked either.

"I suppose this is what happens when I'm cornered half-naked in my room by two sexy men," she teased, running her hand absently up and down Remus's chest with one hand as her other reached behind her to roughly tousle Sirius's hair.

"Looks like we'll need to corner you more often now then, eh?" Remus said with a smirk before kissing her forehead.

"Preferably not when there are 125 people dancing three floors below us, a few of them undoubtedly wondering where we went," she said with a smirk to Sirius. Though Remus had definitely known what was going to happen that night, Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that the grand mastermind was currently drawing lazy circles on her shoulder behind her.

"But where's the fun then, love? Where's your sense of adventure?"

She chuckled.

"I'm sandwiched between two men after doing several unspeakable things with you. I think my sense of adventure is finely tuned by now, don't you?"

They all chuckled before Sirius finally found the strength to roll off her body. She went move but Remus held her fast.

"I like how you feel against me," he whispered.

Too tired to argue, she stayed in his arms as Sirius ducked into the bathroom. Returning, he snuggled up to the pair, throwing an arm and a leg over Hermione as he pulled the sheets up around them. Feeling Remus's steady heartbeat beneath her and feeling Sirius's secure arms around her, Hermione fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

***

Hermione yawned as she padded down to the kitchen the next morning. She had woken up in what seemed like an unconscious battle between the two men for who could possibly snuggle closer. As endearing as it was, she was starting to feel stifled in the early summer heat, and it had taken quite a few impressive feats of rudimentary gymnastics – movements that she knew the men would have appreciated thoroughly had they been conscious – in order to extract herself from their grasp. She had slipped into the bathroom to use the facilities and shower.

They had still been asleep when she stepped out of the shower and as she changed, she smirked at the thought of them waking up together in her bed completely naked without her.

Ginny and Harry were sitting with Tonks at the large kitchen table when Hermione entered. Ginny and Tonks smirked at Hermione while Harry frowned slightly, looking at his friend accusingly.

"Where did you disappear to last night?" he demanded.

"Good morning to you too, my darling best friend," she said sweetly as she walked over to the pot of coffee on the stove.

Harry snorted.

"Don't throw me that crap. One minute you were dancing with Ron, the next you were completely out of sight. I mean, I understand not wanting to stay 'til the end of the party, 'Mione, but quite a few people were asking where you had gone off too."

Hermione had to bite her lip in order to refrain from commenting on his appropriate use of words.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if Remus and Sirius hadn't mysteriously disappeared as well," Tonks said with what Hermione assumed was a poorly constructed attempt at nonchalance.

Ginny nearly choked into her coffee as Harry frowned.

"That's true. Lupin and Sirius disappeared around the same time you did. I wonder where they went off to."

"Oh come on, Harry. Everyone had fun, and it's not like they left in the middle of the party. It was just after the masks had come off, for crying out loud! You know what happens when the masks come off," Ginny said, her hand settled on her protruding stomach as she gave Hermione a smirk.

"What happens when the masks come off, Ginny?" Hermione asked, somewhat amused but not entirely sure whether she was going to like the answer.

"Oh, you know," she said airily. "People get off to all sorts of things."

Only Hermione caught the true intent behind Ginny's slip of the tongue and it was her turn to choke in her coffee. Harry looked lovingly at his wife.

"The expression is 'People get up to all sorts of things,' darling," he said, completely oblivious.

Ginny smirked.

"Of course, how silly of me," she said, winking at her friends.

"Well, I must be off to work. I'll see you at home later tonight, dear," Harry said endearingly to Ginny before smiling at Hermione. "I had a great time last night, Hermione. I hope you can organize another masquerade soon. It felt nice, feeling like an adult for a change."

Hermione chuckled.

"I do love a masquerade," she said contemplatively, eyes twinkling as Harry left. "Especially when the masks come off."

As her friends laughed, she conjured a tray and summoned the coffee, milk, sugar, and two more mugs from the cupboards. With a final smile to her friends, she carried the tray out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs. On her way up, however, she caught a glint of something gold. Looking curiously at it, she realized it was her mask from the night before. She had been carrying it once Remus had taken it off but she had been so worried about her skirt on the way up to the room that she must have dropped it.

A wicked glint fell on her face as she picked it up. Moving silently up to her room, she stripped to nothing but her underwear and tied the mask around her head again. The coffee forgotten, she let her mind wander to what would happen when the masks came off again.