Three\'s A Crowd

Part - 9

Remus sat down in the old armchair across from Albus Dumbledore. He knew that what he needed to say was important, but it was also embarrassing. It had taken him several days to get up the nerve to do it.

\"Would you like some tea? Cookies?\"

\"No thank you, Albus.\" Remus tried not to yawn, but failed. The Headmaster noted the dark circles under his eyes. As unhealthy as Remus Lupin often looked after a full moon, it was not usually this sallow.

\"What is it that you need to speak with me about, my boy?\" asked the older man with a look of concern.

\"Something is happening. Something that I am convinced has to do with the curse that Severus\' father placed on him.\"

\"Poppy and I could not help but notice how run down he is,\" confirmed the Headmaster. \"Much more so then he should be at this stage of even a male pregnancy.\"

\"You know that Severus has been exhausted for days. So have Harry, Sirius, and I. We do sleep, but are unable to rest.\"

\"So I have seen,\" Albus confirmed, noting the dark circles under his eyes. \"It does make sense. There is now a very strong connection between the four of you.\"

\"I know that you and Poppy have been spending a lot of time with Severus,\" Remus noted. \"Has he mentioned why he cannot sleep?\"

\"No,\" Dumbledore told him. \"He becomes somewhat defensive if we bring the subject up. Poppy has opted to simply give him a light sedative and lets him sleep for a while in the infirmary. He is quite stressed enough.\"

\"I think that I know what is happening,\" said the werewolf as Dumbledore unconsciously leaned forward to hear every word. \"Harry and Sirius refuse to speak of it, but, I believe that they are having the same problem. Since the curse was cast, I have been having very, intense dreams.\"

\"Intense?\"

\"Intense, extremely sexual dreams. Dreams that are fixated on Severus,\" Remus admitted.

\"I see.\" Dumbledore did his best to keep his features neutral, but there was something in his eyes that seemed sad.

\"I believe that we are all suffering from the same, \'affliction\'. The dreams are accompanied by painful physical arousal.\"

\"You believe that the curse Sebastian placed on Severus is afflicting the four of you with these, ah, dreams?\"

\"According to the curse, Severus is now the property of the one whose \'bastards\' he carries. He must submit to that person\'s needs and desires for the rest of his life. I think that the curse has manifested itself sexually.\"

\"That could be awkward, Remus,\" said Dumbledore sadly. \"If Severus is being subjected to an intense desire for intimate relations with yourself, Sirius, and Harry, I can understand why he has been so, upset. I told you, I believe that Sebastian molested Severus when he was younger. I know for certain that Severus has had no lover, male or female, since he began teaching here sixteen years ago.\"

\"You think he is afraid of sex?\"

\"Afraid, or disgusted by it. Perhaps both.\"

\"There must be something that we can do. If my own experience is any indication, I fear that the longer the need is denied the worse it will become. Severus will be weakened by the pregnancy. If the curse is not satisfied, the strain could do him and the children great harm,\" said Remus, looking Dumbledore in the eyes. \"For the sake of his health, he may have no choice but to have some sort of sexual relationship with all three of us.\"

\"Which will likely do harm to his mental health.\" Dumbledore looked at his teacup as if attempting to fathom the future that Professor Trelawney insisted could be found there. \"There is another consideration, Remus. You and Severus will be signing the marriage contract in the morning. Once it is signed, you can only divorce if you have not consummated the marriage.\"

\"I know,\" Remus sighed. \"I will be candid, Albus, I am not adverse to staying married to Severus. But he would probably rather die then be bound to me for the rest of his life.\"

\"But, he is already bound to you, Sirius, and Harry for the rest of his life,\" noted Dumbledore, his eyes brightening just a little. \"The contract would only make the bond between you and he official in the eyes of the world. Perhaps because of this bond, Severus can finally leave his pain behind and learn to enjoy being touched.\"

\"Or he will resent being forced to submit to us.\"

\"But, if he is not forced?\" The old man\'s bright blue eyes were twinkling, a sure sign that his sharp mind was working overtime.

\"You think that Severus could be, persuaded to accept the situation?\"

\"Perhaps. I know that you care deeply for him Remus. While it is true that Severus is difficult to get close to, and Sirius and Harry both have issues, they are both very empathetic young men. It will take time, but it is possible that what Sebastian Snape meant to be a vindictive act of petty revenge could be turned into something wonderful.\"

\"Harry might eventually be able to get past his negative feelings, but Sirius has been refining his for so many years.\" Remus sounded pessimistic, because he felt very pessimistic. Even before this he had wished there were some way for Severus and Sirius to at least tolerate one another. Sadly, at the moment it seemed that the chances of any sort of understanding between those two was more remote then the chance of someone recreating the Sorcerer\'s Stone.

----

Having finally escaped the diabolical clutches of Poppy Pomfrey, Severus deftly avoided everyone else by sneaking through one of the secret passages. He entered it behind a suit of armor just off the grand staircase and had an exit underneath a statue of the Slytherin snake about ten yards from the door to his personal chambers.

Besides Dumbledore, only he and the ghosts knew of this passage. It had one central room and passages that lead to each floor. This was one of the reasons that Severus could appear out of nowhere to terrify wayward students.

Severus knew that he took a chance in his escape. He was not hungry, and so had not eaten dinner. Albus would not be pleased when he found out. And he would find out. But he had already had more than enough of being stared at as if he were some sideshow freak.

He sensed something, looked around nervously, but he saw no one. Relaxing slightly he strode to the door, then opened the wards. He was about to step inside when a smug voice spoke. \"You will not go for your wand or speak, Severus.\"

His teeth ground as he glared mutely at Sirius Black, who appeared from beneath Potter\'s invisibility cloak.

\"Be a good boy and go on inside, Snivellous. We are going to have a little chat.\" Stiffly, Severus complied. \"There.\" He closed the door behind them. \"Albus said that I could not stress you, but you are still giving Harry a hard time. So, I thought that since you give him so much grief, that you could give him a little entertainment.\"

Snape glared still unable to speak. \"You may speak to answer my questions, Snape, that is all. And you must answer truthfully. So tell me, how old were you when you stopped wetting the bed?\"

\"Two,\" Severus spat.

\"Two?\" Sirius blinked. \"A potty progeny.\" He smirked, eyes on his prey. He wanted to touch the pale skin, to touch his cheek. Black bit back an order for Snape to strip, and decided instead to get more blackmail information. \"Ever wear women\'s clothing?\"

\"Never.\"

\"Leather pants?\"

\"No.\"

\"Come now, Snivellous, you must have some kink.\" Black grinned. \"Handcuffs? Paddles? Farm Animals?\"

\"No to all of them,\" Snape hissed.

\"Gods, Snape, you are not a pedophile, are you?\"

\"NO!\"

\"OK then, are you gay or straight?\"

\"Neither.\" The answer was a low growl.

\"Bi? I guess you have to take whatever you can get. Personally, I always pictured you as strictly a robe lifter.\" Black shrugged, then smiled. \"OK, Snivellous, I have to know, who got your cherry?\"

\"I, did not know his name,\" Snape whispered.

\"You slut.\" Sirius laughed, then noticing a decanter, \"What is this?\"

\"Scotch,\" Snape answered.

Black took off the stopper and sniffed it. \"Very nice, you have good taste in alcohol at least.\" He found a glass and poured himself a drink. After taking a sip, he sat down in a comfortable looking dark green armchair. Then he licked his lips. \"Ok, Snape, now you are going to tell me in excruciating detail how you lost your virginity.\"

tbc