[Flashback chapter]
Midway through their sixth year, Severus met with the Marauders on the Express after Christmas break for a backstage meeting. Lily sat in to support Severus, as usual; Remus poured tea from a thermos to make the event more civilised.
“How was everyone’s Yule break?”
“Prongs and I had a blast,” Sirius grinned. “How was yours, Moony? Not too stuffy, I hope?”
“I was a good little wolf and had a respectable and traditional Yule, and I certainly didn’t charm live mice into the crackers,” Remus said primly. “Thank you for the carolling Howler, by the way. The look on Father’s face was priceless.”
Sirius cackled. “What about you, Sev? You live close by Lily, right?”
Severus made a face. His old man had been drunk the entire time. “I spent most of the holiday hiding in Lily’s attic.”
“The same, to be honest,” said Lily. “My sister was absolutely vile this year. Still, ginger beer in the attic by candlelight wasn’t a bad Christmas at all.” They had even had a tree, made of a bottle brush and bits from an old beaded bracelet.
“It was quite pleasant,” Severus agreed. “And we were both able to complete the animagus meditation you set us.”
James sat forward. “Oh, brilliant! Now we pick Marauder names for you both. What did you get?”
“A red squirrel,” said Lily. Peter cheered and raised a fist.
“Rodents, represent! How about Sev?”
It was somewhat embarrassing, but on the whole, Severus was pleased with his animal. “I’m a donkey.”
Remus tilted his head. “Intelligent, hardworking and ornery – I can see it.”
Sirius added, “And now, if you’re being an ass, we’ll know why.” Lily swatted him.
“Next order of business,” said James. “Prank review for last term. Any complaints, Sev?”
“On the contrary.” Severus blushed. In recent months, complaints had been the furthest thing from his mind.
“Yeah, we noticed you had a certain reaction to some of our pranks,” said Peter. Severus blushed deeper. In private he had fantasised about them noticing that during a prank, commenting on it, perhaps even mocking him a little …
“What we want to know,” said Sirius, “Is whether you want this arrangement to get more, you know, personal. We’re game if you are.”
“You’re practically part of our coven already,” Remus said.
Peter added, “And you have the best reactions.”
Lily was watching this exchange with suspiciously bright eyes. If she cooed at them, Severus was going to hex her breakfast. He drew a breath. “I am, in fact, interested. However, I have stipulations.” By this point, he was confident that they would be respected. “Firstly, no audience. And for the time being, I should like to limit direct contact to your hands only. We can reconsider at the end of term.”
The Marauders nodded at each other. “We can work with that.”
***
At the start of term prefects’ meeting, Remus sat in the back with Lily, listening to Dumbledore give instructions.
“Please be especially vigilant for instances where a boy is pressuring a girl into inappropriate activities.”
The Ravenclaw sixth-year girl put up her hand. “Don’t the Hogwarts wards prevent unwanted ‘activities’?”
Dumbledore gave them a solemn look. “Technically that is so. However, it is a sad reality that the darker elements of our society often convince innocents to desire unsavoury practices.”
The Slytherin fifth-year, who was a bit of a smartarse, said, “What if it’s a girl pressuring a boy?”
“Or two boys or two girls?” chimed in one of the Hufflepuffs. “Or someone in between.”
“Oh, come now, that’s hardly likely,” Dumbledore replied to the confusion of the prefects. By now, even the muggle-raised ones knew several people who varied or disregarded their gender.
“Let’s move on to the next topic …” said the Head Girl.
After the meeting, Lily pulled Remus aside. “Did that sound as strange to you as it did to me?”
The werewolf nodded. “When my sperm donor talks like that, it’s always the innocent omegas getting corrupted. Boy or girl doesn’t come into it. Dumbledore has some odd hang-ups.”
They ducked into an empty classroom to talk further. “Thinking back, this isn’t the first thing he’s said similar things.”
Lily made a face. “I’ll wager he wouldn’t approve of what our – I mean your coven does with Severus.”
Remus patted her shoulder. “I think it’s fair to call you part of our coven. It can be trickier than triads or couples, but the six of us kind of fit. As for Dumbledore – we’ll make sure he doesn’t find out.”
***
A thrill went up Severus’s back when familiar hands seized him and hauled him into an empty classroom. What did the Marauders have in store for him today?
“Lumos.” The quartet surrounded him, grinning. Severus growled and struggled to play his part, but Sirius had his arms pinned behind his back. “We’re going to have with you tonight, Sevvy.” Another spell and he was floating face up with his limbs stretched out.
“Ooh, look what we have here,” crowed James. He squeezed the bulge at Severus’s groin; Severus hissed at the contact.
“Happy to see us, Sevvy?” leered Remus. “Let’s have a closer look.” He pulled open the front of Severus’s robes, exposing his hard shaft.
“I’ve never seen anyone this eager to get pranked,” purred Sirius. “You’re shameless, Sevvy.”
“What have I to be ashamed of?” he shot back. His mouth was dry, and his pulse thundered in his ears. How far were they planning to go?
“Nothing at all, Sevvy dear.” Peter stroked his bare flesh, making him gasp. “Hang in there, we’re not through with you yet.” The spell holding Severus shifted so that he was, indeed, hanging by his wrists and ankles, bent double with his cock and balls dangling in easy reach of the marauders.
They proceeded to grope and fondle him within an inch of his life. True to their word, they used only their hands on him, and it was more than enough to leave him breathless. Whoever wasn’t touching him had their hands in their robe. Whenever Severus got close to the edge, they backed off, which was oddly pleasing (the Marauders paid attention). Just when Severus was starting to think they wouldn’t let him finish, Sirius gave him a firm stroke, and he spilled all over the floor.
“Good boy, Sevvy.” A cleaning spell, Severus was released, and then the Marauders were gone.
***
After that, it was as if the Marauders couldn’t get enough of Severus. At least once a week he was whisked off to a dark corner or secluded alcove and rubbed off. And that was between the Marauders’ more elaborate pranks. It was a strange feeling, being wanted.
“You’re thriving,” Lily told him. “You’re eating better, and even your posture has improved.”
“My potions work has also advanced,” Severus replied. “Professor Slughorn says I could pass the Potions NEWT today if I wished to.”
“Now that’s talent,” Lily said. “Do you want to have a go at the full transformation?”
The Marauders’ Animagus method had borne rapid fruit. The standard approach based on Transfiguration theory, could take years to complete. This one treated the process as a type of Mind Art, and he had reached its conclusion in months. He reached for the sensations of fur, hooves, long ears, and pushed them out over his body.
Flesh and bone shifted, clothes vanished to Merlin-knew-where, and he landed on all fours as a donkey. He cautiously lifted each hoof in turn, and then tried trotting around the room. As the notes described, he had instinctive understanding of how to move in this shape. Convenient, as he would not like to spend weeks learning to walk on all fours.
“You’re quite handsome like this.” Lily conjured a mirror for him.
He looked like an ass.
But not horrible, for all that. He shook his head just to feel his ears flap. Yes, this would do; soon he would be running with the rest of the Marauders. Changing back was easier, since he was deeply familiar with his own body. “Your turn, Lily.”
***
After the full moon in late February, Remus returned from the hospital wing looking thoughtful. “Did any of you notice anything different about me during the full moon?”
The other three traded shrugs. “You smelled a bit off,” Sirius said, “but I didn’t pay it any mind. Why? Is something wrong?”
“Not wrong, exactly, but – it’s easier if I just show you.” Remus shed his pajama bottoms, turned around, and bent over, to show them a wet opening behind his balls.
“… Is that a vag?” asked James.
“Yeah. No body-mod spell, it just showed up. Madame Pomfrey thinks it might have to do with being an Alpha werewolf.” There wasn’t a lot of information on werewolf health, and the only other Alpha he knew of was Fenrir Greyback. Did Remus dare to owl him? He would need to think carefully about how to handle this new facet of his life.
“Can I put my dick in it?” asked Sirius.
“Sure, why not.”
***
This quickly led to two further discoveries: that Moony quite liked getting shagged, and if he did so just before the Full Moon, he was calm and in control when the moon rose. That was weird enough that Remus risked owling his fellow werewolf Alpha.
“Dear Greyback: I don’t know if you remember biting me, but I just turned seventeen and noticed some extra body parts turn up. Nobody around me knows if that’s normal so I figured I’d ask an expert. I have also noticed that certain activities affect my state of mind in wolf form. I am hoping you have some insight. – Remus Lupin. PS. Why did you do it?”
The answer arrived a week later.
“Hey, pup. You’re right, werewolf Alphas get both sets of privates, and it’s a lot of fun. As for the other thing – that works for any wolf as long as it’s fresh from the source. Don’t spread it around, there are those who’d force it on us if they knew.
I figured your father would change his tune if he had a wolf in the family. Not my proudest moment, but I can tell from your scent that you’re doing well. Keep your pack close and never forget what you are. – FG.”
***
The night had finally arrived when Severus could run with the other Marauders on the full moon. The plan was for him to sneak out before the others, so they could cover for him if he got caught. How they intended to do that without revealing their arrangement, Severus didn’t know. But he trusted them.
The night was clear, and the moonlight painted the grounds silver. Severus had just levitated a pebble at the Whomping Willow to still it, when James appeared out of his invisibility cloak and grabbed his shoulder.
“Abort?” said Severus.
“Abort.” James nodded. “A portrait spotted you and tipped off McGonagall, she’s gone to get the headmaster.” No doubt he had Peter to thank for that bit of eavesdropping.
“What’s our story?”
“Padfoot tricked you into meeting Moony as a prank and I’m ‘saving’ you.” James made air quotes.
“My hero,” Severus deadpanned.
“It’s nice to be appreciated.” James kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
***
The meeting in the Headmaster’s office consisted of Severus, James and Sirius. He hoped that Peter and Lily, at least, were keeping Moony company. There would be other full moons, though that didn’t improve his mood tonight; he glowered at the floor while Dumbledore lectured them.
“I know it must be galling to be rescued by a romantic rival,” Romantic rivals? Over who, Lily? Absurd, when they were all in a coven together. “However, it is fair to say that you now owe Mr Potter a life debt. For you see, had you ventured beyond the Whomping Willow tonight, you would have encountered a werewolf.”
“A what? At Hogwarts?” Severus hoped that was the correct level of surprise.
Dumbledore nodded gravely. “Young Mr Lupin has a great talent; he deserves the chance to prove that werewolves can be more than savage beasts.” He turned his attention toward Sirius. “So I am very disappointed, my boy, that you would not only endanger the life of a fellow student, but jeopardise your friend’s education.” An odd set of priorities.
“It was just a bit of fun,” Sirius muttered. It would have been, if they weren’t interrupted.
“What is fun for one man may be peril for another. Perhaps detention for the rest of the year will remind you of that.”
Detentions. For what Dumbledore believed to be mortal danger. Professor McGonagall’s lips thinned. “That hardly seems sufficient, Albus – ”
“I rhink Sirius learned his lesson, don’t you?”
The next time the Marauders met privately, in one of the school’s many broom closets, Severus asked, “Ought I to be concerned at your willingness to be accused of attempted murder?”
Sirius barked a laugh. “I’d do the same for any of my friends.”