Never Alone

Part Three:

Wolfsbane in Baby Bottles

The Final Battle was over. It had taken many lives from both sides. Lavender Brown, Cho Chang, Dennis Creevey, Pomona Sprout, Luna Lovegood, Filius Flitwick, Ginny Weasley... So many were the names of the people that would not come back home. Draco Malfoy was among them, too. Lucius did not shed a tear over this, despite all the bitterness. The young Slytherin had fallen in the black robes of the Death Eaters, duelling with Lucius himself over Severus's unconscious body. Lucius did not express his sadness of both the death and betrayal to the light of his son's, but his both lovers knew that young Draco would forever be remembered.

One name, one person, however, went almost unnoticed. None of the three men living in Severus Snape's quarters was surprised, much less disappointed, as they heard that Narcissa Malfoy was in the rows of dead Death Eaters. None of them felt sad about this, not even Lucius.

After hearing that her husband wasn't only fully bonded to a man, but two, Narcissa had refused to keep any contact to him - but she still hadn't signed the divorce papers. She'd been simply too greedy for the money to go away like would have been best for everyone. Now, this desire had got her dead. She'd been killed by furious Remus's charm when she'd aimed at Lucius, who at the moment had been kneeling on the ground, spitting blood as a result of a particularly nasty hit. She'd tried to kill Lucius to inherit his fortune at last, but, unfortunately, the werewolf's reactions had been faster.

Now, however, they had a reason to be worried. Severus had received several curses before, and he claimed to be fine now, too. However, Poppy Pomfrey was not letting him away from the Infirmary, even though she'd sent away everyone else who wasn't in danger of death. This, of course, made Remus and Lucius more than slightly worried.

It was the third day after the battle, and the two were, as always, sitting on two chairs beside their bonded's bed. They were in a secluded corner of the Infirmary, out of the way of all the mediwitches and mediwizards fussing around the worst injured patients.

"Bloody woman," Severus muttered, giving a murderous glare at the woman who was organizing the medical aid. "I'm perfectly fine! I could run to the top of Astronomy Tower and back without even stopping in the way, and still she insists to keep me here!" At these words, he shuddered a bit and brought a hand to his abdomen, which didn't go unnoticed by his two lovers.

"Severus..." Lucius said with a bit suspicious tone, "Are you sure you are all right?"

"I'm fine!" the Potions Master snapped. "So stop questioning me!"

"If you are as fine as you claim to be, Severus, then why's Poppy not letting you leave?" Remus asked observantly.

The dark-haired man lowered his gaze, murmuring something.

"Could you please repeat that?" Lucius asked smoothly. "I don't think we quite heard you."

"I said I'm pregnant," Severus sighed aloud. "I took a potion at summer. Now, I'm about three months along. With triplets."

For a moment, neither Remus nor Lucius said anything.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, almost desperately.

"For getting pregnant? No change in Hell," Lucius said firmly. "For endangering yourself? You can be sure about that. What were you thinking, Sev, honestly? You could have got yourself and the babies killed!"

"He's right, you know," Remus said quietly, settling on the foot of his bed. "Not only that you went to the battle when you knew very well you were pregnant, but also that you even attempted the pregnancy without telling us. Male pregnancies are very high-risky. We don't want to lose you." He stroked slowly Severus's legs through the blankets. "You're too important to us," he finished quietly.

"To both of us," Lucius confirmed. "We love you, Severus - we both do. It'd kill us to lose you. We don't want that to happen."

"You won't," the dark-haired man replied with a tiny sigh. "I'll take care of myself - I promise. And I won't endanger myself or the babies anymore." He drew the duvet downwards, revealing his stomach. Then he placed a hand protectively on his stomach, where was, now that they actually paid attention on it, clearly seen a little bulge. How they'd managed to miss it before was beyond both Remus and Lucius. Most probably they'd just thought it was because Severus had filled out a bit after they'd settled down to their relationship. But, both the werewolf and the blond had to admit that it was a very beautiful sight.

The two other men also both laid a hand on the stomach, entwining their fingers with Severus's. Lucius smiled warmly at his black-haired mate, and Remus bent down to place a loving kiss on his temple.

"That's wonderful," Remus murmured to him. "I truly am happy that you decided to do this. Now that the War is over, we can safely raise the children." Lucius nodded in agreement, his smile never fading.

"Let's see when it gets worse," Severus muttered bitterly, again changing moods. "My body is completely unexperienced about female hormones. In the male pregnancy, the worst time is about everything after the third month, as the amount of the hormones gets high enough. So, I'll be switching moods, yelling and snapping even more than before. Then we'll see just how happy you are about this!"

"Now, now, Severus, it's okay," Lucius chuckled. "I'm sure we won't even notice the difference!"

Severus glared at him coldly. "Some day, I'll make you regret those words, Lucius Malfoy," he promised. "I'll do it as soon as that sadist in a mediwitch's dress lets me out of the bed!"

"Why do you obey her, though?" Remus asked wonderingly. He knew all too well that Severus practically never did what Poppy told him to. He'd through the War kept ignoring all medical advices and orders, almost driving his two lovers crazy by constantly making his injuries and illnesses worse only because of his stubbornness.

"I have pretty little options," the Potions Master replied sulkily. "She informed me that the labour is a very painful thing, and that if I miss obeying even one of her orders, she won't help me through it. And as I'll not be able to Apparate after a week or so, I don't really desire trying to get to Hogsmeade to Floo to St. Mungo's when I'm doubling in pain and too heavily pregnant to get to my feet by myself."

"Of course I expected something like that," Lucius smirked, "but couldn't you even pretend that you're doing it because you're concerned about our children's lives?" The gentle squeeze he gave to Severus's hand, however, told a wholly other message than the teasing words.

Severus sighed. "I'm not going to endanger them," he promised. "Not anymore. I know I almost lost them all in the battle, and Salazar, did it scare me - I was afraid I'd lose them, and die myself, even before I got a chance to tell you. But I know there's nothing wrong with me now. The only reason why she's keeping me here is that I pissed her by going the other night, and she wants to get back on me."

"Sure..." Remus chuckled, earning a smirk from Lucius and a glare from Severus.

They stayed there for quite some time, chatting about their future and the babies growing inside Severus. Remus seemed particularly excited about the thought of becoming a father, as he'd for a long time thought that he'd never be blessed by children of his own. Lucius was a bit calmer but happy all the same, and Severus... Well, Severus was happy and angry and sad all the time. Seemingly the mood swings had already settled in, although he told them that it'd get a lot worse later, and he could even lose the control over his magic. This, of course, made Lucius jokingly ponder aloud the possibility of leaving the country, and Remus's just as seriously made a promise to tie him on the very chair he was sitting on if he even considered it.

Later, Poppy shoved the two un-pregnant men out of the Infirmary, telling them that it was too late and her patients needed rest. She looked somehow satisfied, however, about the fact that Severus had told the truth to his mates.

Remus and Lucius walked through the empty corridors, neither saying a word. As they reached their shared quarters, Remus sat on a couch with a sigh. Lucius sat beside him, and the werewolf leant his head against his blond lover's shoulder. Lucius gently wrapped one arm around the slender shoulders. For a moment, they stayed like that.

Then, Remus broke the silence. "We're going to be fathers," he said very quietly, his eyes locked on the blazing fire.

Lucius didn't say anything, he just nodded.

"Real fathers, of all three... I read about it somewhere. If the parents are unbreakably bonded, it is indeed possible for a kid to have three biological parents, as Severus told they were magically conceived with the aid of the potion."

Now, Lucius reacted. "Sounds like the children are in for a Hell of a life," he said, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah... Two ex-Death Eaters as fathers. And a werewolf," Remus added gloomily.

Lucius hugged him even tighter against himself, his expression turning very serious. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Remus.

"You're afraid that the babies might be lycanthropic, too," the brunet wizard said darkly. It wasn't even a question. "Or that they're tainted with too much Dark from my bloodline."

Lucius sighed and drew Remus into his arms. "If the babies are getting Dark from anywhere, it's from Severus and me, and not from you," he said firmly. "And even if one or more of them were werewolves, I, at least, wouldn't mind a bit. I love you, Remus, no matter what you are. And we both know that Severus loves you too. So why'd we care if one or more of our children was a werewolf?"

"Because the baby'd be doomed," the brunet man said gloomily. "Doomed to an endless humiliation and despise from the society and the Ministry. Doomed to the regular pain of the transformation and the loss of their humanity. Doomed to grow up knowing that they will always be despised and watched upon."

"It will not be so," Lucius promised with a firm voice. "I won't let it be. And your life is going to be better, too. I and Severus will see for it."

"I know you will try," Remus said miserably, cuddling even closer to him. "But that's not always enough."

The blond Slytherin stroke gently his greying hair, placing a soft kiss on top of his head. They stayed like that, curled close to each other, until Remus drifted off to sleep, exhausted - the full moon was just a few days ahead.

Lucius collected gently the sleeping werewolf to his arms, carrying him to their bed. Then he undressed himself and lay on the bed beside Remus, arms wrapped around the slender waist.

Eventually he, too, slipped into the land of dreams.

It was Saturday, the day before the full moon. Severus was now five months to the pregnancy, and it wasn't pretty.

If it had only been the usual morning sickness and an aching back or head, he could have aided himself with the potions he knew that wouldn't harm the babies. If it had only been his mood swings and odd cravings, Lucius and Remus wouldn't have had too many troubles with it, as there was always another one to share it with. But no, it couldn't be so easy to them.

As one of the fathers was a werewolf, Severus was now having hard time, like they'd discovered the month before. Severus had thrown up almost constantly the couple of days before the full moon and finally passed out in pain as Remus's transformation began. Then, the invincible nausea had continued for still a couple of days after the full moon.

Poppy'd reassured them - or, mostly, Remus - that this didn't necessarily mean that any of the babies were werewolves. It was just a natural reaction of Severus's body to carrying children of a lycanthrope. And there indeed was a way to prevent the extra nausea and pain - Severus simply had to drink Wolfsbane every time Remus did. It wouldn't make the pain go away wholly, but he'd only feel a twist in his stomach, nothing insufferable.

Unfortunately, like Remus had noticed and Severus now found out, the Wolfsbane tasted bad. Very bad.

And with Severus's even otherwise nauseous feeling, added to the fact that Wolfsbane made him unable to ingest other potions without complications until the full moon, this created a real problem.

Right now, Severus wasn't feeling well. Not well at all. He'd just come from the bathroom where he'd violently thrown up, Lucius holding his hair back, as it was the blond's turn to do so. But, the dark-haired Slytherin was still nauseous. And his head ached. And his back. And the babies were kicking rather furiously on the insides of his stomach, which didn't do any good to his mood.

"Severus, calm down," Remus tried to say as Severus muttered a couple of curse words, holding his head. "It'll be okay, you know. Not long till the full moon is over, and then -"

"Shut the Hell up, werewolf!" Severus roared, cutting him off. "This is your fault! Without you cursing the babies with your damned blood, I wouldn't be going through this! I should never have even considered bonding with you!"

Remus just stood there, his jaw hanging open in shock, his face paled past white to grey. Then he turned on his heels and fled from the room. Lucius saw tears on his pale face as he ran past.

"That's right!" the Potions Master bellowed after him. "Run away, you monster! That's the only thing you're good for. RUN, YOU BEAST!"

At this, Lucius simply snapped. He knew, as well as Remus, that Severus didn't really mean it at all. He was just being hormonal, and a victim of the mood swings as well as the others were. But Remus was being overly sensitive with the full moon hanging over their heads, and Severus had hit just the spot that he knew would hurt the werewolf most. Plus, he'd been snapping at both Lucius and Remus for at least three days before this. Now Lucius had finally had enough, seeing his usually calm and patient lover running away in tears.

"STOP THAT!" he yelled. Severus fell silent for pure surprise. They'd never opposed him before. "Look at what you've done!" Lucius continued, shouting furiously at his dark-haired mate. "You know very well that when the full moon is around, he gets sensitive. And now you - you - you BASTARD are using that on your advantage, deliberately hurting him!"

"Well, he's hurt me, too!" Severus yelled back, gaining back his previous rage. "He and his friends tortured me for years! It's his fault that these babies are hurting me! Without him, I wouldn't have any problem with the kids even around the full moon!"

"That was bloody twenty-five years ago!" the blond replied with an equal fury blazing in his stormy silver eyes. "And you've hurt him just enough! You had no right to yell at him, to say those things to him, especially not now! If you want to hurt someone, hurt me, not him!"

"That's right," Severus snarled, the yelling now forgotten. Tears dwelled in the obsidian eyes. "Defend him with all your might! You don't even love me anymore, do you? You're only with me because I'm carrying you and the beast's babies!"

Lucius sighed inwardly and glanced at the ceiling. Severus's hormones had seemingly decided to switch to his self-pity mood. But, he wasn't going to let Severus get that easily away from what he'd done to Remus. So, he forced himself to stay cold to the tears.

Besides, he suspected that if he went to comfort Severus now, he'd only be yelled at again.

So, he chose to speak. "I do love you," he said calmly, choosing his words carefully. "But, I love Remus, too. Therefore, I won't stand you deliberately hurting Remus's feelings. You had simply no right for what you did. Remus loves you, he's never hurt you on purpose. If you expect him - and me - to love you in the future, too, you're going to stop that." He turned to walk to the door. On the threshold he looked over his shoulder, saying, "I'm going to see Remus now. Feel free to join us when you're up to apologizing." With that, he stepped out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

It didn't take long to find Remus. The werewolf was curled on an armchair in his former room, crying silently to himself. Lucius walked to him and gently collected him to his arms.

"Shh," he said softly. "Don't cry, love. You know he didn't mean it, he was just being all hormonal again."

"I know," Remus sniffled, trying in vain to stop the tears. "But - the moon - it's just tomorrow night. I can't behave sensibly around it."

"You don't have to try and reason yourself. Everyone has a right to have feelings," Lucius murmured to him. "I thought you'd learned it. Think about how bad Severus felt as he kept up that unfeeling mask for years."

"Think about how bad he now is that he shows all his feelings," the werewolf muttered bitterly.

"He didn't mean it," Lucius reminded patiently. "He shouldn't have said it, true, and I told him that. But, Remus, he doesn't really think so, he -"

"Yes, he does!" Remus snapped. "He maybe is hormonal, but even that can't make him say wholly unfamiliar things! He doesn't mean it, I'll take your word for that, but he wouldn't have said it if the thought hadn't ever crossed his mind!"

Lucius sighed. He couldn't deny that point, nor could he come up with a response. He just hugged Remus even tighter against himself, wishing desperately that this hadn't even happened at the first point. It hurt him so much to see Remus hurt. The werewolf rarely cried, almost as little as Severus and Lucius themselves - they were all used to keep their feelings inside them, even though Severus had been an expert in it. If Remus was crying, it meant that he had been truly hurt.

The door creaked open. As expected, Severus peered in. "Remus," he said softly, traces of tears marking his cheeks. "Remus, babe, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't mean it at all..."

"S-Severus?" Remus whispered, wiping the last tears away. As the black-haired Slytherin approached the two men, the smallest man shied away, pressing even tighter against Lucius. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Severus.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," the Potions Master said quietly. "Lucius was right, I didn't have any right to do that. I know that you'd much prefer if I didn't have to go through this, just like I and Lucius would prefer if you didn't have to transform every month. You're not a beast, Remus, you're one of the most intelligent, kind, and loveable people I've ever met." He bit his lip, trying to prevent tears coming to his eyes again. "Please forgive me..."

For a while, Remus just watched him. Then his lips quirked into a small, wary smile.

"Consider yourself forgiven," he murmured, his amber eyes still glowing with tears.

Severus let out a sigh of relief, then came nearer to hug his both bonded mates.

"I love you," Remus said quietly.

"I love you," Severus and Lucius repeated his words in unison.

It was a quiet evening near Easter in Hogwarts, just before the new moon. Or, at least, it was quiet now. Just moments before, it'd been anything but quiet. The reason? Severus had gone into labour, and his yelling had echoed through half of the school.

But at last, three little babies had been born. There were two girls and a boy, in that order. After checking on the babies and the "mother" who determinedly refused to be called one, Poppy Pomfrey had left the room, giving the newly-made fathers some time to get known to their little angels without outsiders disturbing them.

And did they adore their babies! Lucius, who had before got a son, felt like he'd gotten the same ten times over again, now having children with somebody he truly loved. And Remus and Severus, who'd never felt the joy of becoming a father before... Well, they were simply amazed. Even Severus managed a little smile despite all his exhaustion from giving birth, and that was telling.

Right now, Remus was sitting on a chair next to the bed Severus lay in. Both were adoring the small baby girls that lay on Severus's lap, both fathers making sure that they wouldn't fall. They examined the tiny creatures in fascination, hardly believing that they had truly created these little people. Lucius stood some way away from the bed, the youngest baby in his arms, eyeing gently his only son now that Draco'd died.

The baby slowly opened his eyes ajar, yawning slightly. Lucius smiled, fatherly pride filling his heart with love and warmth towards the little baby boy in his arms.

Suddenly, the little eyes snapped wholly open. Two glowing golden orbs shone from the face of the little infant.

Lucius drew a sharp breath, making the both other men nailed their gazes at him. "What now, Lucius? Something wrong?" Remus asked, seemingly startled.

The blond man closed his eyes momentarily, collecting himself. Then he steadied the baby on his arm and looked at both of his lovers. "Severus, Remus..." he said carefully, "the youngest baby... The baby boy..." He drew a deep breath, then said, "Our little son is a werewolf."

Remus let out a frightened cry. Then he hid his face in his hands, tears rolling down his cheeks. "My fault," he whispered. "My damned fault..."

"It's not your fault," Lucius said firmly, and Severus nodded. "It isn't like you'd wanted it."

Remus shook his head. "It is my fault," he said stubbornly. "Without me, you two would have nice human babies and live happily together ever after. But then I came along, and because of me the baby that should have been yours is mine and a werewolf!"

"Remus John Lupin, if you dare to go on with that, I swear I will do something violent just to put some sense into your thick head," Severus said sharply. "Now, come over here. And bring the baby as well, will you, Lucius?"

They did as asked. Severus laid all three babies on his lap, being extremely careful not to let them fall.

"There," he said then, glancing at Remus. "Their eyes are closed now. Other than their hair, do you see differences?"

Remus hesitated for a moment. "No," he said then. "I don't see any differences. They're too young to actually resemble anyone."

"Good. So why would there be any differences even if they opened their eyes?"

"It isn't only the eyes," Remus said stubbornly. "It is a whole lot more. Damn it, I should know how much more it is, of all of us! It isn't like you'd got an ID number burned on your skin when you were three years old! That's what going to await the baby, you know," he said then darkly. "As soon as he first transforms, the Ministry will want to mark him and put him into their registries. Doomed for the rest of his life, at that mark."

"No, he won't be," Lucius said firmly. "I still have some authority over the Ministry officials. I'll do whatever is in my power to make sure that our son won't have that tattoo." He gave Remus a tight hug, then added, "And that it'll be removed from your skin as well."

Remus didn't say anything. He merely shook his head slowly. "It's nice to dream, sometimes," he whispered. "But I know that those dreams will never come true."

Severus huffed angrily and handed one of the babies to Remus, who took the offered child a bit hesitantly. Then Severus gave another child to Lucius, who also took her to his arms. Then Severus himself steadied the last baby better on his one arm and said, "Now... What about the names?"

"Cassidy," Lucius said immediately. "It was my favourite name when I was little. I vowed to myself that if I ever had a daughter, I'd name her Cassidy."

"I like Cassidy," Remus said, and Severus nodded in agreement.

"The oldest one shall be Cassidy," he said, nodding towards the one baby on Lucius's arms. "Cassidy... Cassidy Elizabeth, what do you think?"

"Perfect," Remus smiled, and Lucius nodded as well.

"As for the second child..." Severus glanced towards the little bundle on Remus's arms. "I don't know why, but she somehow reminds me of my grandmother," he said with a faintly amused voice. "Silvia Snape. I think Silvia would suit her rather well."

"Silvia Courtney, perhaps?" Remus suggested. He seemed to have calmed down almost instantly.

"That's okay with me," Lucius said, smiling slightly. "And what for our son?" He glanced carefully at Remus. "Remus... You haven't yet chosen a first name to any of the babies. What would you like to call our son?"

Remus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, very quietly, "If you won't mind... I'd like to call him Sirius."

This startled the Slytherins quite a bit, although they both made of course sure not to show it at any rate. They exchanged wary glances, unsure of what to say.

"You don't like it," Remus said softly, having noticed the glances shot between the two other men.

"Well... No," Severus admitted truthfully. "I mean, we don't want you to hang on Black too much. I understand you really loved him, but he's gone, and we're what is here now. It's not healthy to depend yourself on a dead man. However, as much as I hated Black, and despite the truth he cheated on you... He did love you after all, in his own way. So, if you want to name our son Sirius to honour him, then, it's fine with me. If, however, it's just a sign that you're not as happy with us as you were with him... Then it's not fine with me."

"Same goes for me," Lucius said. "Are you truly happy with us now, Remus? Or do you still wish you were with Black?"

Remus hesitated for a moment. Then he said quietly, "He did love me, true... But not in the way you do. And I didn't love him the same way I love you. I'm happier with you two than I've ever been, but... I still want to remember Sirius. To make others remember him. He deserves at least a memory, if nothing else," he added then.

"On that you're right," Lucius said. "Sirius Black may have been an annoying, arrogant cheater, but he was a good man after all. And, like any good person, he deserves to be remembered by his friends. So..." He thought for a while, then said with a slight smirk, "How would you like Sirius Lucifer?"

Remus made a choking sound, and Severus glared at him. "Lucius Philippe Malfoy," he said sharply, "You'd better be kidding, since otherwise I'll skin you."

"Okay, okay, calm down," Lucius said, again smirking. "I was kidding, true. In fact, I think that Sirius Jonathan would fit him." He glanced attentively at the little boy on Severus's arms.

"Suits me," Severus said, shrugging. "What about you, Remus?" The two Slytherins both locked their eyes on the werewolf.

Remus thought for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I like that," he said softly. "Sirius Jonathan... What?"

"You're right," Severus realized. "We haven't even discussed their surnames yet!" He glanced at the children, one by one. "If we gave one name to one, it'd be hard," he said. "Like, deciding which one is a Lupin, which one is a Malfoy, and which one is a Snape?"

"We could, of course, name them after the one they resemble most," Remus said. "Although, you having carried them all, I think they all should have your name, too. Like, one Lupin-Snape, one Malfoy-Snape, and maybe one Snape?"

Severus snapped his tongue. "These are going to be three very confused kids if we do that," he said sharply.

"I, however, think it'd be easiest if they all had the same name," Remus said, smiling slightly. "What do you think, Lucius?" he asked then, turning towards the one man who hadn't yet made a comment to the topic.

Lucius looked uncharacteristically hesitant for a while. Then he steadied Cassidy on his one arm, slipping one of his hands to the pocket of his robe. "What about..." he said, bringing forth a tiny ebony box, "Lupin-Malfoy-Snape?"

Both Severus and Remus gasped in surprise as they saw what was inside. There were two shiny rings in the box that was covered with night-blue velvet. They were both pure gold, one with a finely cut amber, one with a little piece of obsidian on it.

"You - you aren't -" Remus started, unable to finish his sentence.

"I'm proposing to you," Lucius said calmly, although his voice was very quiet and his expression a bit hesitant. "Remus, Severus... You two mean me the most in the world. Well, you and these brats, anyway," he added, smiling lovingly at the baby on his arms. "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that we're already bonded to life, and that we're as good as married in all other means as well, but... I still want you both as my husbands in front of the law and the society. So, will you marry me?"

The two still stayed in stunned silence for a moment. Then, at almost exactly the same moment, they both broke into a smile.

"Of course I will marry you, Lucius, you daft," Severus said softly, the loving glint evident in his obsidian eyes. "You're not getting away from me now, not after I carried three of your kids - your and Remus's. You're stuck with us, whether you like it or not, so it's only good that you like it."

"Good," the blond man said, and sighed with relief - thus showing more emotion than most people had ever seen from him. Then he turned towards his other bonded. "Remus?" he asked carefully, searching for his lycanthropic lover's gaze.

"I'd love to," Remus said quietly, turning his eyes away from the silver orbs. "Believe me, I'd want nothing more than to marry you - both of you. But unless you use that 'authority' of yours, I can't. I'm by law not allowed to marry full humans."

Instead of saying anything Lucius merely let the box down on the covers of the bed, then put his hand into his pocket again. He then drew out a little sheet of parchment. "The permission sheet," he said briefly. "You are allowed to marry us, Remus."

"Rather sure of yourself, weren't you?" Severus asked dryly.

"Well, let's just say that a Malfoy does nothing unprepared," Lucius said with a slight smirk. "Not even proposing." He eyed Remus carefully. "So, it is settled then?" he asked.

To his great relief, Remus, also, broke into a smile. "Of course, Lucius, love," the werewolf said. He reached out his free hand to touch Lucius's. Severus, too, reached out a hand, meeting the other two in the middle of them.

For a moment they just sat there, a child on each one's arm, their other hands linked together.

They could all sense the love going through their bond.

Severus and Lucius were sitting on two chairs in the little sitting room of Severus's quarters. Remus, however, sat on a thick rug on the floor, wholly naked. On his arms lay a little baby, equally undressed, nestling against his father for some warmth. The tiny infant was whimpering quietly, trying to adjust to the odd mental pull that he must feel by now. They'd given him the Wolfsbane, mixing some to his milk bottle every time they fed him. The daily dose wasn't big for such a small creature as little Sirius was, so he hadn't even noticed the foul taste.

The full moon started to rise over the horizon. Remus hastily laid his son on the rug next to him as the transformation started.

Remus bit his lip to prevent himself crying out in pain, but he failed. The baby cried out aloud also, writhing as his bones started cracking and his muscles stretching to their new forms for the first time in his short life.

At last, the transformation was over. Moony licked the little cub concernedly, attempting to calm down his little offspring. Then he looked at Lucius and Severus, love and longing and sadness glowing in the golden eyes.

The two men knelt down next to the wolves. Lucius petted gently Moony's golden fur, and Severus took the tiny, black cub on his arms, pressing his little head against his chest, allowing him to hear the same steady heartbeat he'd listened for nine months before his birth.

"It's okay, Moony," Lucius whispered to the wolf. "Don't worry. We love you, and we love him all the same even though you are wolves now." He saw the evident guilt in the beautiful animal's eyes, and sighed. "It's not your fault, love," he tried to assure his temporarily animal-formed lover. "It isn't like you asked for it. He's going to be fine, believe me."

In the meantime, Severus petted just as gently the werecub that was his son. He mumbled meaningless, soothing sounds to him. From all he knew they were rather similar to those that she-wolves made to their cubs.

However, the youngest Lupin-Malfoy-Snape didn't seem to calm down that easily. He relaxed a bit at the familiar voice and heartbeat, but then started whimpering again. He wasn't familiar with this form; it was strange and almost painful even though the actual transformation was over.

At last Severus, not being able to bear listening to his son's mournful sounds, did the last thing he could imagine in order to comfort the cub. He opened the front of his robes and, with some difficulty considering that the cub was only a bit smaller than an average baby, put him inside his robes. Then, buttoning the black robes almost all the way up, he closed the cub in a small, safe nest.

After only a few seconds, the werecub relaxed almost completely. The warm, dark closedness, the heat of Severus's body and the now clear, familiar heartbeat made him feel safe despite this strange new form. Severus smiled distantly and petted his son through his robes for some time until he felt the last bits of tension leave the small animal's body.

He glanced up and found Lucius and Moony watching him, with looks of love and warmth on both the man's and the wolf's faces. Then Lucius leaned closer and hugged him warmly, leaving the bulge in Severus's front between their bodies. Moony was of course unable to embrace him, but the wolf did press his cold nose at Severus's neck.

Like a reminder of their other children, a little whimper suddenly came from one of the cradles. Moony immediately strolled to where their daughters lay, stopping in front of one of the cradles. Lucius and Severus got to their feet and followed the wolf, Severus all the time securing the cub with an arm wrapped below the bulge in his robes.

Moony peered into Cassidy's cradle, where the sound had come from. The little girl was half awake, whimpering again. Instincts came over the wolf, and he licked soothingly his daughter's face.

To Lucius and Severus's great surprise, the baby calmed down. She opened her baby-blue eyes, her gaze wandering around, unfocused. Moony licked her cheek again, and her mouth curled into a little smile.

Moony raised his eyes from the baby, a wide wolf-grin on his face. The two men smiled warmly at him. Then Lucius knelt down to embrace him, too.

For a moment, they all just stayed like that, feeling safe and comfortable.

Then, Silvia bursted into tears. Lucius chuckled and went to the other cradle, picking the little girl into his arms. He hummed quietly, cradling her in his arms. The baby didn't calm down, however. Moony tried to lick her face, too, but she only started crying more.

"Give her to me," Severus finally sighed. Lucius nodded, handing the little bundle to his dark-haired husband. At almost exactly the moment Severus took her to his free arm, she stopped crying.

"Classic," Lucius said, and smirked. "The baby only stops crying on their mother's arms."

Severus glared sharply at him, determinedly ignoring Moony's wide grin. "Shut up," he snapped. "The day before yesterday you were the only one who could make Cassidy calm down. It has nothing to do with being 'a mother!'" He snorted. "Besides, I refuse being 'mother,'" he added.

"So, what are you going to be, then?" Lucius asked, smiling. "I claim the title 'Father.'"

"I'll be 'Dad,'" Severus hastied to say. "And what about dear Moony?" A rare mischief entered his eyes. "What about 'Mum?'"

A sharp glare and a threatening growl from the wolf told that he didn't approve that title the slightest.

"Now, now, Severus, don't tease," Lucius said. "What about 'Papa?'" A growl. "'Pop?'" A glare. "'Daddy?'" At first, a hesitating silence. Then, a happy yelp and furious nod.

"So, Daddy it is," Severus agreed.

Silvia made a little satisfied sound. Then he gave them an utterly cute baby-yawn, shut her blue eyes tightly, and fell asleep. Lucius took gently the baby from his lover's arms, placing her back to her cradle.

"I think that Sirius is asleep, too," Severus said quietly, sitting to a nearby chair. He unbuttoned the front of his robes again, revealing the small, furry cub inside them. Lucius instantly fetched a blanket to wrap the baby in. Moony lay on his side on the floor, and after a short moment of hesitation, the blond man put the now covered werecub next to his equally wolf-formed Daddy. Moony gave the small bundle a tentative lick, then rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes. After a moment, he was asleep, too.

All well and safe in the Lupin-Malfoy-Snape family.

Severus gently fastened a thin, golden chain around baby Sirius's neck. After making sure it wouldn't fall away, that it wasn't too tight so it could strangle his son, nor was it too loose so it could get stuck on something, and that the pendant was the right side up, he glanced up from the baby.

Remus was sitting on the nearby chair. His right sleeve was pulled up, revealing a slim arm. A Ministry official was crouching over the arm, murmuring quiet words whilst running his wand around a little area on Remus's skin.

At last, the official stood, glancing attentively at the arm. "It's gone for good now," he said then, seemingly satisfied with what he'd done.

Remus turned the forearm towards his eyes, examining it closely. "It's true," he said quietly. "It's gone... There's not even the tiniest mark of it."

"I promised you that, didn't I?" Lucius said with a slight smirk, although his eyes were twinkling with warmth and love. "Next time have a little faith for me, will you?"

"I will," Remus promised with a slight chuckle. Then he smiled warmly at his blond lover. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Any time." Lucius walked over to his chair and bent down, slipping another gold chain around the adult werewolf's neck. He fastened the lock gently with his long, slim fingers.

The official took a last check on both Remus's and Sirius's pendants, then bade his goodbyes, and left.

As soon as he'd gone, Remus snuck a finger under the chain and tugged at it a bit. "A dog tag," he murmured. "It's still humiliating, yes - but not half as much as the registration tattoo." He glanced up at Lucius and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you," he said again.

"As I said already, any time, Remus. I love you. I'd do anything for you." Lucius bent down again to place a kiss on the smaller man's forehead. Then he walked over to where Severus sat and gave him a quick kiss as well.

"Oh, down, you," Severus said irritably. He laid the baby on his lap into an empty cradle next to the ones where their daughters lay, sound asleep. Sirius merely yawned and went to sleep - usually he was the loudest of the babies, but now he was just simply tired after the transformation.

Remus walked over to them as well. They all peered down at their little children, who weren't more than just half a month old. Cassidy already had a little golden tuft on the top of her head and Sirius had clearly black hair, but Silvia hadn't shown any signs of anything but a bold head thus far. They all had straight noses from either Lucius or Remus - something that all the men were secretly grateful of, although no one, Severus at last, had said anything - and slightly pouty lips that were obviously inherited from Remus. All in all, they were truly adorable children, and not only to their proud fathers' eyes. Albus had dared to visit as the children had been just a week old, and he'd been head over heels fussing around the children.

"We'll soon have to introduce them to the other staff, you know," Severus said nonchalantly.

"Merlin forbid that," Lucius murmured quietly. "I'm sure they'll all be fairly surprised that the babies are still alive - after all, they've been under our care for two weeks running!"

"I don't care about what the others say," Remus said calmly, "but if Sybil as much as hints a word's worth about something bad happening to our children, I'll personally see to her soon approaching and unpredicted, although not unwanted, death."

"Now, now, Remus, no reason to get violent," Severus said with a slight chuckle. He stood and said, "I suggest we'll go to the breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow and bring the triplets with us. I'm sure Albus will be delighted."

"And even if he wasn't," Remus added with a little grin, "we don't care, now do we?" He slipped an arm through Severus's, and Lucius did the same on the other side of the man.

"I'm sure everyone will love them," Lucius said self-confidently. "They're our children, after all."

"Right," the other two said simultaneously. Then the three proud fathers glanced at their children again.

They noticed that little Sirius had curled his little fist around the golden chain in his neck.

Remus smiled, only the tiniest bit sadly. "He's going to be a fighter," he commented.

Severus nodded, then placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "Just like his father," he said, smiling a bit at his brunet lover.

"Which one?" Lucius asked innocently. "The one who's fought with his Lycanthropy for years, or the one who survived several years under the Dark Lord's Imperius?"

Severus gave him a sharp glare. "One more comment like that," he said threateningly, "and I'll rip your cock off. Then we'll see who's the 'mother!'"

"Aw, but Severus," Remus said with a mock-sweet voice, "now where'd be the fun of that?"

"You don't see it?" the Potions Master asked back with a smirk. "Then I'd be the only one able to shag you, and Lucius would forever be doomed to be the submissive one!"

"Well, at least you prove you most definitely aren't the mother," Remus said, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "Isn't it just so traditional that men - all men - think with their balls?"

"That's not true," Lucius disagreed. "For if we only thought about sex, I wouldn't have married Narcissa in the first place."

"You never know," Severus snorted. "Bisexuals are never to be trusted wholly!"

"Be quiet, please," Remus pleaded. "I have a headache bad enough anyway, and the next moment you'll wake the babies!"

Lucius immediately closed his mouth, which he'd already opened to respond to Severus's comment. The dark-haired man, however, gave Remus an apologizing glance.

"Sorry," he said. "I always forget how tender your ears are around the full moon." A slight pause, then, "Would you like something for the pain?"

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Painkillers don't work to the aftereffects of the transformation," he said quietly. "Right now, I only want to sleep."

"Then," Lucius said with a determined tone, "we are going to sleep."

With this said, they walked to their own bedroom, arms linked.