HP fic: Three Men, ch. 6: Three Men and a Snitch [Harry/Remus/Severus, adult]
Title: Three Men chapter 6, "Three Men and a Snitch" Authors: celandineb and cruisedirector Fandom: HP Pairing: Harry/Remus/Severus Rating: adult Warning: Bondage, D/s, discussions of other kinks. Also, romantic sentiment and domestic bliss. Summary: Remus, Severus and Harry strive for equilibrium. Also here. Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry, Remus, Severus and their magic potions.
There was always a certain miasma in the air at a Quidditch match, Remus mused as he climbed the steps. Partly the bits of spoiled pumpkin pasties ground permanently into the wood underfoot, but mostly the tang of adrenaline from the crowd, all on edge to see if their favored team would pull off the victory. Curious how appealing such a scent could become.
Harry squeezed his hand as they sat down. "Glad you came along?"
"Very," said Remus honestly. He looked past Harry. "Though I believe there was mention of Chocolate Frogs?"
Huffing, Severus stood up again. "I trust one packet apiece will be sufficient?"
"As long as you both give me first shot at the cards," Harry bantered. While Severus moved off in search of a vendor, he rummaged through the pockets of his robes. "Here," he said, handing Remus a pair of battered Omnioculars. "We can share them." He scooted closer, leaning against Remus slightly. "Chilly today."
No more than his father did he have any subtlety. Remus put his arm around Harry, as he was so plainly being encouraged to do. "Better?"
"Mm. Yes." Harry grinned. "If The Daily Prophet gets a few photos of us two now, maybe they'll stop and Severus will escape."
"I wouldn't count on it." Remus had more than once wondered whether Severus would really attend the Puddlemere-Harpies match today. Shopping at Spitalfields market was one thing, but there were inevitably reporters at a Quidditch match, though the stands could not have been described as packed. While Puddlemere had an excellent record, Holyfield's was the worst in the league, and only their most diligent supporters had come out to cheer them on.
There were positive and negative aspects to the relatively low profile of this game, Remus knew. On the one hand, gossipy writers and rumor-mongering social wizards who only attended Quidditch matches for the prestige of being seen were less likely to be in attendance. On the other, three well-known faces were less likely to disappear into the smaller crowd...
"Harry! Remus!" At the familiar voice, Remus winced inwardly. Not ten rows behind them were Ginny and Tonks, sitting with a crowd of Ministry people... and Ron and Hermione. The latter seemed of far more consequence to Harry than the presence of the woman who had left him little more than a week earlier. Sitting up, he waved enthusiastically, and Hermione rose from her seat to make her way to where Harry and Remus were sitting.
"I suppose Oliver must have had rather a lot of tickets for this game," she said. "The Harpies aren't playing very well this season, are they? Ron tells me the rankings but I haven't paid very close attention." She sat down in Snape's seat, leaning across Remus to give Harry a hug. "How are you doing? I sent you an owl when I heard."
"I'm fine. Really fine." Harry grinned at her. "So's Remus, I think. I invited him to stay at Grimmauld Place with me, since I have the space... and Snape is there, too."
"Snape!" Hermione's eyes went round in astonishment. "I didn't think you were even speaking to him! Are you telling me he's living in your house?"
At that moment, the man in question stepped from the portal that led beneath the stands. As Remus had feared, there were immediate murmurs from the Ministry group. "Miss Granger," Snape said as he reached their row. "I believe that you are in my seat."
Hermione scrambled to her feet and stepped out of his way. "I'm so sorry, Professor Snape, I didn't realize you were here with Harry and Remus." It had taken two years to convince her to use his own first name instead of "Professor Lupin," and Remus smiled at the fact that she automatically called Severus "Professor" even now.
She hovered uncertainly as Severus sat down with a disgruntled expression on his face. "Er. Harry, I was going to ask if you'd like to come out to dinner with Ron and me after the match. And Remus too, of course. But if the three of you came here as a group, perhaps you had other plans?"
They hadn't yet made any, and Remus had no particular dislike of the idea of having dinner with Hermione and Ron; he and Tonks had had the couple over for drinks on occasion, despite the age difference. Having all worked together in the Order had created a bond. He noted, however, that Hermione hadn't quite extended her invitation to include Severus. Since she had addressed Harry first, he waited to hear what Harry would say.
"What about Ginny?" Harry gestured at the group up above.
"Oh, she and Tonks are going out to a new club, they said." Hermione looked uncomfortable. Remus wondered briefly if she disapproved of the club, or of the idea of Tonks and Ginny as a couple. Neither, perhaps, since she continued, biting her lip, "Ron and I would be glad to have all three of you join us."
Good girl, thought Remus.
Harry chuckled a little. "Not that I doubt you, Hermione, but I think perhaps tonight isn't the night." He rested a hand on Remus' knee and reached across him to touch Severus' arm. "Unless you two were keen on the idea?"
Stiffening, Severus shook his head, his lips thinned and pressed together. "I am unavailable this evening. However, if you and Lupin wish to..."
Remus watched Harry's face fall and decided at once that they were having none of that. "You aren't planning to work on your potion with someone else, are you, Severus?" As the others gave him odd looks -- Hermione simply confused, Harry and Severus slightly shocked -- Remus continued, "Harry is right, this isn't the best night. We had promised Severus to assist him with testing a salve he's developing... it's in the final stages, nearly ready for market, isn't it, Severus?"
Harry grinned rather wickedly, though Severus was shooting a glare like a dagger at Remus. Hermione likely noticed both, because she gulped, offered a wavering smile to Harry and said quickly, "Well, another time then. It was very nice to see you, Remus, Professor Snape. Enjoy the match."
Remus watched as she stumbled back up a step, then turned and raced back to where Ron was sitting. "You could have been friendlier," he said mildly to Severus. "She's going to think you're awfully possessive of Harry."
"Possessive of Harry!" scoffed Severus. "I am not the one who, without his permission, scheduled Harry's evening plans... and mine, I might add."
"You mean you weren't planning to come home with us and put your salve to good use?" asked Remus innocently, as Harry grinned again.
Severus harrumphed and grumbled, "I would prefer not to have words put into my mouth."
"No, I imagine you prefer something else," said Harry. At Severus' look of warning, he added, "Those Chocolate Frogs you went to fetch, of course. Why, what did you think I meant?"
The crimson flush on Severus' neck receded slightly as he fumbled in his robes and passed the packages over. It was good for him to be teased, Remus decided as he tore open the paper on his and deftly captured the frog as it tried to leap away, popping it into his mouth.
"Mmm." Harry had a streak of chocolate smeared over his cheek. He wiped futilely at it until Remus pulled out a clean handkerchief and handed it over. "Chocolate of any sort always makes me think of you, Remus, did you know that? Ever since the Dementors on the Hogwarts train."
Remus found his heartbeat quickening when Harry smiled at him and licked his lips to get the last crumbs of chocolate. "Really?"
"Yeah." He laughed. "Chocolate Frogs specifically used to make me think of Ron, but now that's going to change. Thank you, Severus." Harry flipped through the cards in his hand. "There's one here of Dumbledore... same as the very first time I ever had these. He's smiling, look."
As Harry extended the card towards Severus, there was a roar from the crowd and the two teams' players swooped out. "The match is starting," said Remus unnecessarily, and took the card away from Harry, tucking it into a pocket. He reached for Severus' hand; when it was moved out of his reach, he settled for resting his own discreetly against the outside of Severus' thigh instead.
The beginning of the match seemed to relax Severus somewhat; he had always been an attentive Quidditch spectator, and Remus noted that he appeared to be rooting for the underdog Harpies though nearly everyone in the stadium had come out to cheer on Puddlemere. The Weasleys and their Ministry friends chanted, "Wood! Wood! Wood!" every time Oliver performed a save, though none were terribly spectacular -- they did not need to be, as the Harpies performed no great feats of acrobatics.
The Holyfield Seeker, however, appeared to be an exceptional player, and Remus soon noticed that Harry was watching the Seeker more attentively than the goals. "He's almost as good as Krum," Harry said. "Too bad their Keeper's so terrible -- catching the Snitch is the Harpies' only hope for winning the game."
"Would you like a drink, Severus?" asked Remus when one of the pumpkin juice sellers came through their section.
"Not at the moment." A United Beater had just been called for a clear foul, and Severus was watching with a gleeful expression as the referee shouted at the team's captain.
"I thought you might like to have some juice now, for later," Remus said sweetly. Harry let out a rather scandalized giggle. Severus turned to say something to Lupin, but at that precise moment the Golden Snitch swooped by them, buzzing close enough to Remus for him to feel a tiny wing graze his skin. The bright little ball shot upward, directly above their heads, and both Seekers came flying straight at them.
Instinctively Remus ducked, though out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry's face tilt upward and his arm start to rise, as if he were going to reach for the Snitch himself. Before Harry could reach it, however, the two Seekers jostled each other and nearly ran into the three men as they lost control. Indeed, the broom twigs of the Seeker from Puddlemere United clipped Severus on the head.
"Surely that should be a foul," was Severus' indignant comment when they had wheeled away again, neither having caught the Snitch.
"I don't think so." Harry shook his head. "You're a spectator, not on the team, and you weren't injured."
"Humph." Severus snorted, pressing his palm gingerly to his temple. "After that I need a drink. And I do not mean pumpkin juice," he frowned when Remus began to wave the seller over.
"If you really want to leave now..." Harry's disappointment was almost palpable.
"No, not till the match is over."
Remus spotted another vendor and bought them all a round of red currant rum. Now that he would be working with Severus regularly, helping to brew potions, he could spare a few Sickles. "You looked as if you wished you were playing just then, Harry," he said after the first invigorating sip.
"I miss Quidditch." Remus knew that Harry played sometimes with Charlie Weasley and a few of his friends, who had been part of Gryffindor's strongest team in a quarter century, but no social game could compare to the excitement of a competitive match. Charlie was the Seeker to whom Remus had heard Harry compared when Harry was a student... and though he had never seen the second Weasley son play, he knew that Charlie had given up a promising career in professional Quidditch to train dragons and work for the Order of the Phoenix.
"It's not too late, you know," Remus said lightly to Harry. "You're in good shape, and I suspect your name would earn you a try-out with any team..."
"Oh, I don't really want to do this." Harry gestured toward the pitch, where the Harpies' Keeper had just taken a Bludger to the elbow and was hanging precariously from his broom. "Not all the time, with the traveling and injuries like that. But I don't get to fly as much as I used to, and I miss that."
Just then, with the players clustered around the Harpies' center goal, the Golden Snitch once again buzzed directly over their heads, its tiny golden wings moving so quickly that they appeared only as a blur. And again Harry's arm looked as if it were itching to reach up and grab it. "That thing appears to want your attention," said Severus in a voice that sounded sufficiently jealous to provoke Remus to laughter.
"I doubt Harry's going to leave us for a Snitch," he said when he had recovered himself enough to speak.
"Oh, never mind," Severus grumbled as the little ball darted away once more. The Harpies' Seeker spotted it heading for the center of the pitch and swerved sharply away from the knot of players, followed closely by the United Seeker.
"Go, go, go," Harry was yelling with the rest of the crowd, though it was unclear to Remus which team he was rooting for. There was a moment when it looked as if the Golden Snitch would evade them both once again, but then the Holyfield Seeker twisted slightly, dropping, and rose again with the walnut-sized ball grasped in his fist.
Groans arose from most of the stadium, though there was scattered cheering and clapping as well, including both Severus and Harry.
"Oh, well done. Well done!" shouted Harry. He turned to Remus. "Too bad for Oliver's team, but he did a good job; not his fault that the Puddlemere Seeker wasn't as quick today." Remus and Harry waved at Oliver as the players flew down, but Remus wasn't sure if they were seen. "Want to go say hello?" Harry asked.
"No," said Remus, glancing at Snape, whose expression hovered between indifference and contempt at the idea. "I think I'd rather go home before Hermione comes to renew that dinner invitation."
"All right," said Harry cheerfully. "We can get takeaway. Chocolate Frogs aren't quite enough for dinner." Severus nodded with more enthusiasm at this idea.
They had reached the railing and were turning toward the stairs leading out of the stands when a voice from somewhere below shouted, "It's Harry Potter!" Immediately there was a rustle and the crowd stopped flowing out of the stadium momentarily as people turned to look.
Scowling, Severus swept ahead of Remus as Harry drew himself up, smiled almost apologetically at the people staring and muttered to Remus, "Just keep talking to me. People don't generally interrupt if I'm right in the middle of a conversation."
Since the war, Remus had rarely been out with Harry in such a large, anonymous gathering of people; they had mostly seen one another at private parties and occasional dinners with Tonks and Ginny. He did not often think about how much Harry's celebrity must affect his comings and goings... not to mention his dating prospects.
"The game has certainly become quicker than it was a few years ago," he said, slightly more loudly than necessary. "I suppose it comes of the emphasis on flying acrobatics rather than scoring. Certainly makes heroes of the Seekers, but do you think it's best for the teams?"
"There's always been plenty of emphasis on flying," Harry replied. "Gets deadly dull watching the Chasers keep pitching at the goals and ducking Bludgers if there aren't sufficient moves..." The crowd started to move again, and they caught up with Snape who was lurking near a post, still wearing a faint frown.
"Does that happen often?"
"Sorry, Severus," said Harry calmly. "It does happen rather a lot. It was much worse for the first couple of years, though; you wouldn't believe the kind of mob scene that could develop. For a while Ginny suggested dyeing my hair red so that no one would recognize me."
"At least there didn't seem to be any photographers," offered Remus, "if you were worried about undue publicity." Severus shook his head, but Remus suspected that he was, from the way he glanced about.
"Plenty of people saw the three of us sitting together," Harry reminded them both. "That's sufficient for the Prophet's gossip column anyhow. And who cares? As far as anyone else is concerned, all we're doing today is attending a Quidditch match. And helping Severus test a salve, if someone overheard what Remus told Hermione." He grinned and tugged at Remus' hand. "Come on, I'm hungry. Indian? Chinese?"
"I would like fish and chips," said Severus, his voice unexpectedly wistful. "My Da always bought us that for supper after going to a football match; it seems the proper sort of meal to me."
"Sounds good," Remus agreed. It was rare for Severus to speak of his parents, particularly anything that sounded nostalgic or happy; if he wanted to eat a favorite meal of his childhood with Remus and Harry, it seemed to Remus to be a great compliment.
Harry, too, appeared surprised at the request, but he covered quickly, shrugged and nodded. "I've never been to a football match," he said. "My Uncle Vernon took Dudley a few times a year but I was never invited. Saw some on the telly but it's not the same thing."
"Maybe we should go to a football match sometime instead of Quidditch. There'd be no chance we'd be recognized by Muggles." Remus smiled wryly at the other two as they emerged from beneath the stands into the late afternoon sunlight. "Though someone would have to explain the rules to me... I've never watched football at all."
From all around them came the sounds of popping and whooshing as spectators Apparated away from the stadium or pulled out their Portkeys. Remus knew that Harry would have preferred to fly, but they had been in Muggle London earlier, and they had opted for Apparition to avoid the long, miserably overheated queue for the Floo that invariably followed matches.
"There's a little shop not far from Grimmauld Place that has good fish and chips," suggested Harry. "Why don't I go pick some up? You and Severus can go home and see if the packages have arrived."
"If you're sure you don't mind." Remus smiled at how easily Harry said home to the two of them. "But let us contribute, at least..."
Harry waved away this suggestion. "You got the drinks, Severus got the Chocolate Frogs, dinner's on me," he said, beginning to back toward a less crowded spot. "I'll see you at home." Again he smiled, then popped into nothingness.
Remus looked at Severus, who said, "I suppose we could pick up some lager."
"Yes, somehow your juice concoction -- delicious though it is -- wouldn't seem quite the thing with fish and chips," said Remus. "And I don't remember seeing any around the pantry." He fished in his pocket. "It would be quicker to go to the off-licence on the corner near Harry's house rather than go to Summerbee's, let me see... I have just over eight pounds in Muggle money."
"I have a few pounds too. Between us it will be enough, unless you were planning to get as drunk as you were last week in the Leaky Cauldron?" Severus glanced sideways at Remus.
"That was a special occasion," said Remus loftily. "One doesn't get chucked out by one's lover of many years every day. Besides, if I hadn't been completely potted, I might not have accepted your invitation, and then where would we be? Come on, let's buy the lager or Harry will be home first."
Grimmauld Place was still Harry-less when they arrived with a good supply of liquid refreshment, and one of the deliveries had been made: a teakwood rack that Severus had found in the Spitalfields market that morning, wrapped in masses of brown paper tied with ropes.
Complaining that the carrier really ought to have not left the rack without anyone at home to take it in, Severus levitated it in through the front door and down to the cellar below the kitchen where he had begun to set up a kind of auxiliary potions laboratory. Harry had convinced him that it was not an imposition to use the extra space, and that a room that already had pipes for hot and cold along one wall was much better than his bedroom for such work. A plumber was to come the next week to install taps and a sink and connect it up to the drains.
Remus let Severus deposit the rack carefully on the floor and begin to undo the bindings before he said, "You know, those ropes are rather... inspirational."
Severus' head whipped around. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play the innocent with me, Severus." Remus smiled knowingly. "I saw you looking at the bedposts in your room. We both know what they've been used for."
It was almost as much of a surprise to see Severus blush as it had been to hear him speak fondly of his father. "I hardly think Harry would be interested in that sort of activity," he declared.
Incredulous, Remus laughed aloud. "He touched and stroked and licked me as a wolf. He played pissing games with us. I hardly think the suggestion of a bit of restraint would push his limits, but if you're concerned, you could always volunteer to be tied up. Show him the ropes, as it were."
He was grinning, but Severus looked wary. "Evidently you have experience with this," he observed. "You could always volunteer."
In hindsight Remus realized that he had invited such a suggestion, but that didn't stop him from flinching. "Actually, no, I can't," he muttered. "I don't think I'd be a very good example. I can't submit that way -- no bonds, no gags. I have seen the pens where the Ministry keeps werewolves."
Severus was studying him more closely than Remus wished. "It isn't about being subjugated, you know," he said quietly.
"I know." Remus didn't think Severus would want to know the details of his intimate life with Sirius after Azkaban, and didn't think he was prepared to talk about it, either, but he was well aware of the pacts that governed such relationships. "I assure you, I am quite devoted to understanding my lovers' desires and limits. But I have never been receptive to that particular activity."
"You wouldn't even trust Harry so far?"
"It's not really to do with whether I trust Harry." Remus swallowed. "Or you, for that matter. It may not be logical to find being bound dehumanizing when I am a werewolf, but that's how I feel; it takes something necessary away from me. I can submit happily under the right conditions, but bondage isn't one of them."
"What about pain?" When Remus gave him a look of surprise, Severus shrugged. "We may as well both know each other's -- how did you put it? -- desires and limits, since Harry lacks the experience we each have."
"So far he's been quite willing to try whatever one of us suggests. But yes, I see what you mean. Pain... as long as I'm not tied up, I can take it, if it's important to my lover that I do so." He shivered slightly with memory. "I am willing to offer it to someone who enjoys that experience. What about you?"
"When administered by the right person, pain can set free many inhibitions." Severus glanced away.
"Inhibitions?" Severus had been astonishingly uninhibited, Remus thought.
"Yes." Now the other man's face was closed off. "You already know much of what I enjoy in the bedroom. I have been bound, as you guessed, and also been the one doing the binding."
"You prefer some measure of control, I know that. And you talk more during sex than I ever would have suspected." Remus guessed that the two things were related -- that speaking gave Severus a sense of mastery over the situation even if he was physically at someone else's mercy.
Above, the front door crashed closed. "Are you home, Severus? Remus? I have dinner for us," called Harry.
"We're down here," Remus called back. "Setting up some of Severus' things." He turned toward the stairs, leaving the other man to finish arranging the space as he wished; Remus had the sense that privacy in the laboratory when he wished it was more important to Severus than privacy in his bedroom.
Harry was in the kitchen, removing the fish and chips from their wrappings and putting the food onto plates. "I didn't know whether Severus preferred cod or haddock, so I got some of each," he said. "And they had these little packets of vinegar." He dropped a handful on the table. "I have some vinegar but I don't know whether Severus likes a specific kind."
"I'm sure what you have is fine." Remus allowed himself a small smile. He found Harry's determination to make Severus happy alternately sweet and unnerving. The issue was increasingly less that Remus distrusted Severus, who was more affectionate with Harry than Remus had ever seen him toward anyone else, but that outside the haven of this house, Severus still seemed profoundly joyless. "It all smells delicious."
Just then Severus arrived in the doorway, nodding agreement. Without waiting for Harry to put the plates on the table, he broke off a piece of fried fish and popped it into his mouth. "Very good."
Harry grinned, and for a moment Remus thought he would throw his arms around Severus, but instead he smacked his hand. "Go and sit."
Severus' eyebrows shot up. "Yes, sir," he growled.
For a split second Harry looked unnerved. Then he smiled again. "I picked up some mushy peas, too; I wasn't sure if either of you would want some."
"No, thanks." Remus made a face. "The color alone is offputting, not to mention that the texture is like eating infant food." He watched as Harry spooned peas onto his own and Severus' plates, then brought them over to the table.
"See? Sit properly and your every want will be attended," Harry told Severus as he served him. "Vinegar's in the packets or there's this in the bottle."
Remus doused his own fish and sprinkled salt generously. Touching it with a finger, he decided it was cooled enough to eat without a fork. He enjoyed doing so; it seemed that the other two did as well. Severus eating bites of fish and potato with his fingers and licking them afterwards was quite a sight. Harry evidently thought so too, since he stopped eating for a moment, his fork loaded with peas halfway to his mouth, studying Severus.
"What?" Severus dabbed up a crisp crumb of batter with a fingertip and popped it into his mouth. "Need I remind you that if it was rude of me to begin eating before dinner was on the table, it is also rude to stare?"
Harry shook himself and resumed eating. "I was just thinking," he said when he finished his mouthful.
"Thinking is dangerous," Remus observed, and Harry gave a guilty laugh.
"Maybe. I liked it when you called me 'sir' just now."
Snape's lips quirked. Reaching across the table, he picked up a packet of vinegar and tore it open using his teeth. "Don't expect me to make a habit of it," he warned.
"Wouldn't want you to -- it'd lose the novelty." With a shrug, he picked up a chip and dipped it in the spreading puddle of vinegar on Severus' plate. "Be fun once in awhile, though."
Severus shot a glance at Remus, who smiled innocently back. "Have the two of you been conspiring?" he asked.
"How do you mean?" Harry's expression, too, was entirely virtuous, but Severus had long believed that Harry had a tendency toward deception, even when Harry had been a young student. Remus was certain that he didn't give the protest much credit.
"First Lupin wants to see me tied up, and now you are suggesting that I address you as..."
"Remus wants to tie you up?" interrupted Harry, his eyes growing wide behind his glasses. Dropping his last bite of fish, he shoved away his plate. "All right with me. You finished?"
"Not quite." Remus couldn't help smiling, both at Harry's sudden breathlessness and the telltale blush making its way across Severus' face. "Actually, Harry, I thought he might prefer to have you tie him up. Though I would be happy to help... I do have a bit of experience."
"I can be the one to do it?" Harry licked his lips. "You'll need to help me, Remus."
"Am I not to be allowed to even say if I agree to this or not?" Severus demanded.
"Of course you are." Harry rolled his eyes slightly. "I thought the two of you had already planned this out."
"And if we had, would you not then wish to know precisely what we were planning?" demanded Severus, who looked uncomfortable... needing control again, Remus was sure.
"You'd tell me what you thought I needed to know." Harry was up and next to Severus' chair, tugging at his hand. "If you want to tie me up, instead, you can do that." He paused, cocking his head and glancing from Severus to Remus. "You do both know that, don't you? I trust you with... everything."
Remus swallowed against the lump in his throat. He had worried, during the time when the Order was struggling against Voldemort, because Harry had grown so grim and cynical, suspicious of all but a very few. What had happened to turn him around? He had been calmer once the battles were over, apparently content with Ginny, but nothing like this. Surely less than a fortnight of involvement with Remus and Severus could not have produced such a change. The sex might have been wonderful, but Remus knew that alone wasn't enough. He put the thought aside for later and rose, going over to take Severus' cold and slightly greasy hand.
"Then we'll have to show you everything we know, won't we?" he said lightly in reply to Harry. "If there's something you'd like to try, just ask. I doubt either of us would say no... to most things, anyway."
Harry nodded, but he was looking at Severus. "I do want to tie you up, if you want it," he said. "There's safe words, right, if you want to make me stop?"
"We would have to agree upon one," Severus agreed. He looked at neither of them as he moved toward the door, leaving the remains of dinner on the table, which was quite unlike him. "A word none of us is likely to forget, but which would not ordinarily come up in bedroom exchanges. And nothing which might operate as a spell."
"And you'll tell me exactly what you want me to do, when you can't move?" Harry asked, following him upstairs. "Give me orders, I mean." Remus had to bite back a moan. The idea of Severus lying immobile, instructing Harry in how he wanted to be pleasured, was unbearably arousing.
"If I demand that you put your fingers in me and suck me until I come, for instance...?" Snape asked in a low, menacing purr.
"Of course I would." Harry sounded breathless. They had reached the top of the stairs, and he grabbed Severus' hand again, squeezing it.
"Suppose I instructed you to suck my nipples? Or to bite them? Or to put clips on them?"
"Clips? Like hairclips?"
"Ah." Severus glanced at Remus. "You haven't used those before, I gather. Metal clips designed to pinch the flesh without breaking it. Another time, perhaps."
"I have some, actually, if you would like to have us use them," Remus admitted. They were one of the things he had been careful to take when he collected his belongings from the flat he and Tonks had shared. Sirius had given them to him, long ago: silver lions, bespelled so that the pressure could be adjusted at a word. "They're in my room."
"Not today. I mean, I'll do it, Severus, if you want, but I'd prefer one thing at a time." Harry looked a bit worried, but Remus was pleased to see that he was so willing to speak up when pushed past what was comfortable for him. By now they were clustered inside Severus' room, where Harry sat down on the bed. "Do you mind waiting?"
"I do not." Severus sat down beside Harry, looking at him solemnly. "You are correct, however, that it would be wise to choose a safe word. If you have been uneasy with our activities in the past..."
"Not uneasy." Turning his head, Harry let his smile encompass Remus as well as Severus. "I was afraid I'd hurt you a couple of times, though, and maybe you wouldn't tell me to stop." Pausing, he cocked his head. "What about 'Snitch' as a safe word?"
Remus felt himself grinning widely, and Severus' lips twitched in amusement. "Since I cannot imagine that we would ever use one for erotic purposes, I believe it will serve," he replied. "Remus, is that all right with you?"
"Certainly." He appreciated being asked.
Beaming back at him, Harry reached out for his hand, pulling him onto the bed with the other two. "Well. Now that we have that settled..."
"We're all overdressed." Remus began to unfasten his clothing as Harry tugged his jumper over his head. His fingers were slow and clumsy because he was watching not his own work, but Severus' hands as the long lines of buttons parted on the dark-haired man's clothing, first on the outer robe, then the waistcoat and finally the shirt beneath. He folded them and leaned down to set them on the floor before stretching out on the bed.
Remus wondered whether Severus had almost no leisure clothing to wear at places like Quidditch matches not out of any desire to maintain an image of formality but because he had grown up so poor that there had been no money for casual items. He treated fish and chips like a luxury item, after all, and nearly everything he had brought to Grimmauld Place with him was utilitarian rather than personal souvenirs or comforts. "If we are going to do this regularly, we should buy you some new pillows, Severus," Remus said.
"And maybe one of those mattresses that can be spelled to heat up and vibrate and undulate," added Harry, who had stood to slide his trousers off. He was flushed, not quite meeting either man's eyes. "All right, you had better tell me what you want to do tonight."
"Why don't you kiss him," Remus suggested, and had a moment to enjoy the look of surprise on Snape's face before Harry's head blocked the view. The small wet eager sounds of Harry's lips and tongue against Severus' mouth had their parallel in the way that Severus' cock jerked against his thigh as it hardened under Remus' gaze. Remus finished undressing, tossing his clothes on top of the others', and crawled beside them on the bed. He stroked Severus' chest, finding the peak of his nipple half-hidden by coarse dark hair, teasing it until he heard Severus gasp into Harry's mouth.
Harry's head lifted and he winked at Remus. "Quidditch was my idea," he recalled, "and fish and chips was Severus' idea. So I think it's only fair that what we do next should be your idea."
"Mmm." Remus hummed gently against Severus' nipple as he thought. Harry had quite obviously been excited by the idea of tying Severus up, even if he wasn't ready to explore anything beyond that yet. "Harry, you must know the Incarcerous spell. Do you want to try using that on Severus?"
A flush reddened Harry's face and neck. "I have tried it," he muttered.
"What?" Remus didn't understand. He heard a rumble from Severus; surely that was laughter?
"When... the night Dumbledore died. I was trying to stop Snape from getting away, but it didn't work."
Remus reached to put an arm around Harry, and found Severus had tightened his own embrace.
"I think you could manage it now, Harry," said Remus.
"I want you to manage it." Severus' voice was a silky growl, the sort of tone that Remus was sure he had used to give Harry detentions, once upon a time. "Tie me up and then I... we," he corrected as Remus nudged him, "will tell you what to do next."
"All right." Harry's voice sounded shaky, whether with arousal or nervousness, Remus couldn't have said. He leaned off the edge of the bed to pull his wand out of the tangle of his clothing, shifting up on his knees to look down at Severus, who had stretched his arms above his head, one reaching toward each of the bedposts. Remus saw Harry glance at the wooden carvings, his eyes going wide as he recognized the telltale discolorations and indentations where the posts had held ropes in place before.
"Incarcerous," he said, not in his most confident tones, but cords appeared out of thin air, bound themselves around Severus' right wrist and tugged it toward the post as they wrapped themselves firmly in place. Severus let out a harsh grunt. "Did I do that right?"
"Again. The other wrist," Severus commanded before Remus could reply. Nodding, Harry pointed his wand and repeated the incantation, watching as the cords again popped into existence and tied Severus firmly to the opposite bedpost. The dark-haired chest arched upward from the mattress, nipples ruddy and erect, and Severus' cock twitched up out of its surrounding dark curls. "You performed that spell correctly, yes."
"Good," said Harry, turning and sharing a smile with Remus. His fingers stroked down Severus' exposed side, raising goosebumps and causing the muscles to quiver beneath the surface. "Now what do you want me to do?"
"It seems to me that if Severus would like to..." Remus began, only to find himself interrupted again by that silky, dangerous voice.
"Surely you can both use your mouths for something besides talking," Severus said pointedly.
"Surely we can," Remus agreed. Harry nodded and bent his head, nuzzling at the juncture between Severus' hip and thigh, his expression concentrated and blissful. Remus watched for a moment, but when Severus cleared his throat he, too, lowered his head to press his lips to the pale skin of Severus' belly.
Harry had wriggled his way down to rest between Severus' legs, pushing them further apart to reach the tender skin of his sac, which he had taken into his mouth. Remus twisted slightly and licked the head of Severus' prick, tasting the first drops welling from the slit. He heard Severus sigh and moved to take him deeper, rubbing his tongue over the loose skin, scraping ever so gently with his teeth along the shaft.
"Harder," Severus demanded, and Remus obliged, still careful. He shifted his hips to press his own stiff cock against Severus' leg, and let one hand wander to touch Harry's face, urging him up a few inches as Remus pulled away from Severus' shaft.
"Here," Remus told Harry. Their mouths met around hot flesh, tongues sliding and entwining as they worked together. Remus could feel Severus' pulse quicken, his cock throb under their ministrations, and wondered what he would ask for next. "Want something in particular, Severus?" he inquired.
"You are both neglecting entire regions of my anatomy." As if to make clear precisely what he meant, Severus lifted his legs between them, raising his hips. "Wolves enjoy licking nasty things, don't they? And Harry, I can feel you wanking against the mattress. If you insist on distracting yourself, turn around and give your prick to me."
"Yes, sir." Harry grinned down at Remus as he reversed his position, planting his knees on either side of Severus' head and brushing his cock over Severus' lips. With a smirk Severus opened his mouth, tilting his head up to run his tongue along Harry's erection. While Harry sank down against Severus to suck him from above, Remus lay flat on his own belly and licked behind the heavy bollocks.
The smell and taste of Severus there was rich and pungent. Remus recalled, as if remembering a film seen in childhood, how it had been to lick him as a wolf, and suspected that Severus was remembering it too. He ran his tongue along the tender skin, touching the pucker of Severus' arsehole, then pulled back just enough to murmur a quick cleansing charm. Doubtless the wolf would not be offended, but as a human Remus had certain concerns about hygiene.
With his mouth full of Harry's cock, Severus could not easily speak, but the muffled groans he made were sufficient indication that he wanted Remus to press deeper. Harry was gasping and whimpering, and Remus smiled to himself; Severus did have a very talented mouth, and it didn't surprise him that the other man chose to give Harry pleasure even though theoretically he was under Harry's control.
Pointing his tongue, Remus wriggled it into the tight hole, enjoying the softness inside, such a contrast to the firm muscle of Severus' arsecheeks. He felt Severus quiver and push his hips forward, and complied with the wordless request, licking, sucking, thrusting his tongue in and out as if it were a miniature cock itself. His own cock throbbed between his stomach and the mattress; he hoped that Severus would want to be fucked, soon. He'd never had a lover so ready to accommodate his size.
A slurping noise came from above, and then Severus' voice. "I think you've had enough for the moment."
Harry made a small noise of protest, but Remus felt the bed heaving as he shifted off Severus. "Want something different?"
"Yes. I want you riding my prick." This time the noise Harry made was far more enthusiastic. "Remus, can you raise my hips sufficiently to fuck me at the same time?"
Remus found the idea decidedly exciting and was determined to try, though he suspected his muscles would ache later. "We'll need lubricant," he said, at the same moment Harry groaned and leaned over the side of the bed again.
"Got potion, Severus?"
The vial was in Remus' hand before Harry could begin digging in the pockets of their robes. He poured a bit into his own hand. "Get back up here, Harry, so I can prepare you before I start working on Severus," he said.
Harry knelt over Severus. "Like this?" His arse cheeks were slightly parted, and Remus could just see the rosy wrinkled aperture. He bit gently at one cheek and Harry yelped.
"Legs a bit further apart," Remus told him, and when Harry obeyed, he smoothed a bit of the salve down along the crack, circling one fingertip around Harry's hole and smiling as Harry squeaked and pushed back against him.
"Keep your mouth usefully occupied, Harry." Severus spoke in a dark growl. Rather than kissing him, though, Harry bent his head and Remus knew he was sucking Severus' nipples where they peeped through dark hair. Remus glanced up at Severus' face, which bore an expression unusual for him; soft, almost bemused as he watched Harry at work. When Severus realized Remus was watching him, he raised an eyebrow, and Remus smiled and went back to ensuring that Harry was ready for Snape's prick.
His own was aching, but he ignored that for the moment. "Move forward," he requested of Harry, who bent himself nearly in two wriggling his knees forward while still kissing Severus' chest. Remus lifted one of Severus' legs and began to apply some of the potion to him; it wouldn't take much, not when Remus' rimming had already loosened him somewhat.
"Enough of that, Harry. I am quite ready for you." Snape's voice was commanding yet thick with desire as Harry straightened, shifted over the hairy belly and reached back to lift Severus' cock, since Severus was quite unable to aim himself so that he could enter Harry. They both made small noises of frustration as Harry tried to push himself down onto the stiff shaft. Remus noticed that Severus had closed his eyes, his face furrowed as if in concern that he might ejaculate too quickly.
Then Harry bent slightly forward and Snape's cock slid easily into his arse as he sat back. Oh, that was lovely; for a moment Remus forgot both his task of preparing Severus and his own aching erection, so entranced was he by the sight of Snape pushing into Harry, stretching the skin around the hole.
"Oh god, Severus," Harry groaned. His hand moved back and forth on his hip, as if it wished to be stroking something else.
"Wait," commanded Severus, opening his eyes to look over Harry's shoulder at Remus. "Enough preparation. Fuck me."
The angle was awkward at first -- Remus had to shove Severus' hips upward, propelling Harry forward, his weight falling onto his hands -- but a moment later it became obvious that Remus would be able to set any pace he wanted for the other two, who groaned deeply at his first thrust.
He did not penetrate Severus fully to begin with, knowing that his size required a certain amount of care to be taken even with the aid of the salve, but waited for a moment to let Severus' arse relax and to get a better grip on his hips. Then he was able to push in further, the heat surrounding his cock and making him growl with pleasure.
"That's right, Remus, I want that big prick of yours, all of it, up my arse. Want you to fuck me, fuck Harry through me," Severus said, and Harry whimpered as Remus moved, forcing Snape's cock further into Harry as well. "Want to see your hand around your prick, Harry, but don't come, just wank that beautiful cock for me."
Remus wished he could see the scarlet shaft of Harry's prick with his hand wrapped around it, but had to be content with looking over Harry's shoulder at the face of Severus, whose eyes were now intent on the sight before him. When he realized that Remus was watching him, however, Severus gazed back and a smirk tugged at his lips. Clearly he was very much enjoying giving Harry orders and having them so readily obeyed. Remus shifted a bit, bracing his knees under Severus' thighs so that he could use one hand to tease the other man's balls each time Harry raised up, slipping one finger around the base of Severus' prick and into Harry's arsehole as well.
"Fuck, oh fuck," Harry panted, pushing against him. Remus thrust harder into Severus and bit at the point of Harry's shoulder blade, as hard as he dared without risking breaking the skin.
He felt Harry buck under his mouth, and at the same moment he felt Severus tighten around him. Harry must be close, Remus surmised, and doing the same to Severus. "Not yet," said Severus in a ragged voice, and was answered by a soft wail.
Harry might have been under instructions not to come until he had Severus' permission, but Remus was not obligated to observe the same restrictions. Angling his hips, he slammed in deep, shoving Severus against Harry and pushing the younger man forward into his own hand. "Oh god!" Harry gasped. "Won't last like this!"
"Wait," Severus began again, but Remus interrupted him, loosening his teeth from Harry's shoulder to murmur in his ear:
"Don't wait. Come all over him -- you know it's what he wants." Hearing Severus and Harry groan together, Remus thrust in hard again. "Bring him over with you -- he can't resist, look at him. He's yours. Remind him."
"Severus!" Harry entreated, and over his shoulder Remus saw Severus' eyes fix upon Harry's face. "Want you, please... ah, god yes, now!" Harry's back arched and he stiffened as he came on the final word, his semen splattering across Severus' chest and face. His arse clenched around Remus' finger.
"Come on," panted Harry, still rocking back and forth on Severus' prick as Remus continued to pound him from below. "Come for me, come for us." One hand slipped back to touch Remus' leg for an instant, though he had to bring it forward again lest he lose his balance. "Severus, come."
Shifting his angle just slightly, Remus added in his most insistent growl, "You wanted this, so let go." He could feel his own orgasm collecting, his bollocks tightening, but he was determined to make sure that Severus came first.
Harry leaned forward now and licked at the viscous drops on Severus' face. Remus heard him whisper, "We need you."
Severus was shaking; Remus could feel it as well as see it, his hands clenching and quivering where they were bound over his head. With Harry's head lowered, Remus could look directly into Severus' eyes, and though he lacked the skill at Legilimency that had made the other man a valued spy, he could read clearly the desire -- and the fear -- mixed in his thoughts at Harry's words.
"We need you," Remus echoed, watching Harry nod and continue to mouth Severus' skin. He was shaking too, trying to hold back, though his hips were snapping forward automatically, pushing him toward a now-inevitable climax. "Come with me, please, let me..."
He never finished the sentence, because Severus cut across his words with an animal cry, eyes rolling back. He very nearly threw Harry off the bed with the force of his writhing. Only Remus' hands and cock anchored on and in his body kept them both in check, as if they were riding a broom together.
It was more than Remus' prick could withstand, however; with a final thrust forward, he exploded into Severus, unable to keep looking at him or Harry or anything else. He slumped, feeling the ache in his thighs from supporting Severus' hips, his cock still engulfed in the heat of Severus' arse. He reached one shaking hand up to wipe the sweat from his forehead and opened his eyes to see Harry, who had spooned himself against Severus' torso and was kissing his throat, soft open-mouthed kisses.
Slowly, not quite painfully, Remus eased himself away, letting Severus' legs settle to the mattress. As he did so Severus looked at him with an indecipherable expression, and Remus saw him swallow.
"No need to say 'Snitch' this time," said Remus in the lightest tones he could muster. Harry turned his head and smiled, and even Severus' lips twitched.
"Come here." Harry reached for Remus, who leaned over to give him a quick kiss, then rolled and settled himself behind Harry, propping himself up on one elbow and putting his other arm around Harry's waist.
"I want to tell you both something." Harry's voice quavered a little, and he took a deep breath, wriggling back against Remus. "I know it's not even a fortnight since... since we've been together, and maybe it's stupid of me to say this so soon, but I've been happier with the two of you than I can ever remember being."
Even as his chest tightened pleasurably and his arm squeezed Harry closer, Remus felt his breath catch. He felt the same way Harry did, but he wouldn't have dared to say so, and he expected Snape to put some distance between himself and that declaration...
"At the moment I would be happier being with the two of you if one of you would untie me." Severus' tone was slightly beleaguered but sated and very nearly affectionate. Remus loosened his hold on Harry's waist as the younger man slid upward, reaching to fumble at the cords on Severus' wrists. "I realize that your mind has been clouded by orgasm, but surely you haven't completely forgotten magic?"
"Oh. Sorry." Harry's tone was sheepish and Remus could see the blush on his face as he reached across Severus to retrieve his wand. "Finite Incantatem."
The cords fell away, vanishing like puffs of smoke, and Severus pulled down his arms, rubbing at his wrists. Simultaneously, Harry and Remus both reached for the same one, catching and stroking the reddened skin between their own hands. When Harry turned his face to kiss the jut of bone at the end of Severus' forearm, Remus brushed his fingers across Harry's cheek.
"I feel the same way, Harry."
Lips, chapped and dry but still soft with youth, pressed against his fingertips, and Harry turned his head to look over his shoulder. "I'm glad," Harry said, his eyes catching Remus' own for a moment, flickering towards Severus then coming back. Their expression was wistful, as if Harry, too, realized how unlikely it was that Severus would say anything of the sort -- certainly not yet.
Remus leaned over and kissed Harry, still holding Severus' hand. Harry's mouth opened under his own, letting him suck gently on Harry's lower lip before exploring all the recesses of Harry's mouth that he had not yet learned. Halfway through, he opened his eyes to see Severus watching them, and caught a flicker of the other man's thoughts. Nothing clear enough to respond to, only a sense of longing. Remus wished that it were possible for the three of them all to kiss at once, but he'd tried that back at school and ended up with Peter nearly biting off half his lip.
Instead Remus stroked his thumb across Severus' palm and felt him shiver, felt Harry tighten his embrace. He wondered if Harry saw himself as the center of the three of them; that was often how it seemed to Remus. Would they achieve a fragile equilibrium somehow? Perhaps it did not really matter.
"Happier now, Severus?" Harry asked somewhat wryly, stroking once more over the fading pink marks on his skin.
"Yes," Severus replied, and then to Remus' surprise Severus wove his fingers between his own. "Thank you."
Had Remus projected his concern to the Legilimens? He looked past Harry at Severus and found himself being watched. "No need to thank me," he said easily. "I think we were all agreed that we would enjoy that."
Harry was glancing between the two of them, smiling. "I've enjoyed this whole day," he said. "Shopping, Quidditch, dinner, sex... don't see how it could have been better, really."
"Hmph," was Severus' response. "You display a regrettable lack of imagination, Mister Potter."
"Oh? Then sometime you can take charge of our activities for a day and show us what would be better." Harry grinned. "I'm quite willing to go along with whatever you propose, you know, and I expect Remus would be just as interested to hear what you think would be an improvement."
"Certainly," Remus said. He rested his head on Harry's arm, still looking at Severus. "Nothing would please me more. But at the moment," he gave a yawn, "I could stand a bit of a rest, and I'm too lazy to go back to my own room. If you don't mind, Severus?"
Severus shook his head. "No. Stay. Both of you."
The last thing that Remus remembered as he drifted off was the warmth of Harry's body next to him, and the inscrutable gleam in Severus' dark eyes.