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Shades of Grey	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 103926 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 21
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I make any money off this dance in the realm of strangeness and smut

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Shades of Grey

By Speedy Tomato

Summary:

With Voldemort back and the Ministry denying it, all hell's about to break loose. Wanting to waste no time while the Order is gearing up for the war and the Ministry is fumbling around trying to deny things, Voldemort plans on a preemptive strike to lean things heavily in his favor, causing a maximum amount of chaos, hoping by doing that he can take control. But what neither side counts on is the Boy Who Lived vanishing beneath both of their noses and the formation of a third front to the war that isn't aligned with either side to throw a huge stick in the spokes.

HP/SS/LM

A.N.-

We are staying canon up until after the end of Goblet of Fire then we are going a different route and things are going to change dramatically.

Also, something of note, I tend to go more by the books than the movies. As they differ in some places on things, you may need to remember that. Along with that, I'm not all that familiar with Britain and where things are so if I make a mistake, it's my end and please forgive it. I'm doing what I can to get it right but sometimes mistakes are made when you have to rely on the 'net to look things up.

Since I'm not sure where I'm going with this, I'll be adding tags as needed on the chapters they apply to.

No, I'm not going to dance in the realm of character bashing, just take what JKR wrote and twist things slightly, building on things she introduced.

-That Tomato Person

Disclaimer:

I don't own Harry Potter nor do I make any money off this dance in the realm of strangeness and smut

Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth

No doubts and nothing to fear, I claimed the corner on truth

These days it's harder to say I know what I'm fighting for

My faith is falling away

I'm not that sure anymore

Shades of grey wherever I go

The more I find out the less that I know

Black and white is how it should be

But shades of grey are the colors I see

-Shades of Grey

-Billy Joel

Out in the back yard, where the neighbors couldn't see him thus comment on his disheveled and scruffy appearance, Harry was weeding the Dursley's garden, steadfastly trying not to think about all the things going on in the wizarding world. That was a ruddy mess that he was trying to ignore at this point and not think too much about. Cedric's death at the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament, Voldemort's return, not hearing what was going on from his friends, all the things that went on with that nightmare weren't things that he wanted to deal with right now. It was bad enough that he had to deal with everything from that whole thing in his dreams, he didn't want to think about it during the day if he could at all help it.

Resting back on his heels, the young man sighed in a weary way, rubbing across his forehead with a dirty hand, he glanced up at the sky. It was a hot one out so he felt as dry as the garden. Normally, when he did such chores, there was a hose pipe close by he could use to cool off a bit but there was a ban on those right now because of the lack of rain, making everything dry and arid. So he was suffering. Sure, he could get up and go into the house to get something to drink but he didn't think he could face his relatives right now. They were getting ready to go out somewhere to meet up with Marge to celebrate Dudley's birthday with her a little early as she would be out of town when the actual event took place. That meant that they weren't in any mood to see him and were likely to get grouchy with any little thing he did to annoy them, something he could manage by just being in the same room as they were. No, it was better if he waited until they left then he wouldn't have to worry about it and be left in peace.

Sighing softly, he shook his head then went back to the task of weeding, ensuring that he kept an eye on the street for any kind of disturbance or beings that didn't belong. His paranoia was at an all time high when it came to such things, especially since he was feeling his scar prickle and burn more often. And, sometimes, there were feelings and visions that came along with it now rather than just the sensations. Those bothered him more than he cared to admit. Already he knew that he should tell someone about those things, probably Dumbledore, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. When it came to the headmaster, there was something telling him that, maybe, he shouldn't put such blind trust in him. Oh yeah, he probably had the best interests of the wizarding world in mind but that didn't mean that he had HIS best interests at heart. He was, after all, planning on dealing with Voldemort and that meant that he had to look at a bigger picture not just one being. Harry already knew that there were plenty of things going on that he was left out of the loop about. Let's face it, after the return of Voldemort someone, somewhere should be telling him what was going on but that hadn't happened all summer. He was stuck in this place with no word about anything. That told him there was more going on than he knew and it probably involved him, not in a good way either. It also told him that he should be worried about it, something he didn't like. But, he assumed, that if it were big enough he would know about it.

Shaking his head once more, he tried to put it out of his mind and concentrate on anything else. It wouldn't do to drive himself nuts with it all the time. He could do that enough at night when he wasn't sleeping and there were no real distractions around. Glancing at the house he then focused back at the task at hand, going after the weeds with a vengeance.

Little did he know that his whole world was going to be turned upside down once the Dursley's left for the night and the plans of many beings were going to be set on their ear, then the whole wizarding world was going to be in chaos.

On the edge of the Bedgebury Forest on the Hawkhurst side of things, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape were sitting in the library of one of the smaller of the Malfoy homes in Britain. Though it was one of the older of the Malfoy holdings, it was about half the size of the manor so it was often referred to as little more than a hunting cottage or a wooded getaway. It was unplottable and had every protection on it that generations of the pureblood family could put so that no one could find it. Even better? No one outside the immediate Malfoy family knew of its existence. Lucius' forebears were paranoid about having a place to hide if needed and the cottage was the place for them to do that so they kept its location, and very existence, a secret. So it was strange that the potions master was there with him. But Lucius needed a trusted friend to talk to in a place that where no one might show up. Narcissa and Draco were on an extended vacation to some of the family's property in the Mediterranean for the foreseeable future. Well, 'vacation' wasn't the right word actually, it was more like hiding out there so that they were out of the hands of Death Eaters and Voldemort until the patriarch could figure out what to do about things. There was no way he wanted his wife or son to be used as pawns in what was coming, something Voldemort would do if displeased with Lucius.

Voldemort coming back wasn't something Lucius had planned on. Yes, he had heard rumblings, especially from Severus, that it could happen and that Dumbledore was planning for it. But until the insane half-blood had summoned him to that cemetery he hadn't thought it was true, or possible, sure that the Dark Lord was gone forever. Now, well, he didn't know what to do about it. The truth was he did still believe in some of the pureblood rhetoric that had been the base of the initial doctrine for Voldemort but the man had slowly gone insane. That was more pronounced since he had come back from all Lucius could see. It was that insanity plus Severus' proof that their insane leader was himself a half-blood that made Lucius realize that maybe following the megalomaniac this time around was a very bad idea. Things, towards the end of the last time, had been very bad so he didn't think that a 2^nd dance was going to be any better. Sticking around to kiss the robes of someone that was obviously insane wasn't something a smart being did. And Lucius, despite what some said, wasn't a stupid wizard, not by a long shot. But that left him with very few options when it came to doing things this time around.

One was to do what he had his wife and son already doing; hiding. But he didn't like the thought of having to hide anywhere or change his life because of this. That, after all, wasn't something a Malfoy did. With the way the Dark Lord was, he would stop at nothing to find him then he would pay dearly for it. By the time Voldemort was done with him, he would be begging for death. No, that wasn't a good one.

The only other option that he could see was join that old manipulator, Dumbledore, and do what Severus was; spying. That was bad news from many angles, all the way from the fear of getting caught to not trusting the old man or wanting to be manipulated by him. He was well aware that once you were on the hook with Dumbledore you were always at his beck and call or would end up doing something you didn't want to because he left you no room to refuse. No, Lucius Malfoy was already tied up enough in this mess so he wasn't going to add a manipulative old man into the equation. That left him next to nothing in the way of options when it came to this disaster. Severus was in so deep as a spy that he couldn't get out of either side but Lucius didn't want to go that way, sure it would end up badly if he even attempted it. However, his old friend told him that he had another option for him. Since he was out of those, he was willing to listen.

Pouring himself another brandy, Lucius shifted in his chair to a more comfortable position then stared at Severus. After taking a sip and crossing his legs, he looked at his old friend then asked, tone smooth as it always was, not showing any of the worry that he was dealing with, “Alright, Severus, you said you think you have a way for us both not to end up being a whore to either side of this mess. Tell me, old friend, what do you have in mind.”

Sitting his drink down on the table by him, the potions professor looked intently at his old friend then began to explain. “Everyone is looking at this whole coming war from only two sides; the light and the dark. But, as we both know, there are many shades of grey between those polar opposites.”

Nodding, Lucius said nothing and motioned for the snarky man in black to continue on.

“Everyone expects for only the two sides to be involved in the war, that's all they would anticipate and are counting on. My thought was adding a third front, one we control. Yes, many of our objectives would work towards the so-called side of the light and I could feed them information as well as gather what both other factions are doing but we would be controlling our destiny so as to ensure that we came out on top,” Severus explained smoothly.

Liking the sound of that, Lucius nodded. To him, the thought of a third front no one knew about was intriguing. It could also ensure that they set themselves up to come out of the dung heap smelling like prize winning roses. “I will concede that something such as that makes sense. But we have nothing to work with to achieve such a thing. I'm sure there are many fence sitters that can be persuaded to join us in a peripheral way if we can manage to get to them before the Dark Lord makes his first big move. Once that happens there will be no more fence sitting. But we would need more than just an idea to feed them for us to manage such a coup.”

Smirking, Severus shook his head as he took another sip. “We won't need even that. Both sides have an army that's more than willing to go into battle then fight to the death. The two of us can't hope to accomplish raising such a thing let alone training them enough to be effective. No, we need something simpler to work with.”

“I take it you have something else in mind?” Lucius asked smoothly.

“Having thought it over, I believe I know something that can lean things in our favor.” Stopping, he looked Lucius dead in the eye then said, “Potter.”

Sputtering and choking on the drink he just took, Lucius vanished the mess then stared, incredulous, at Severus. “Potter?” He snarled out. “How, and why, would we need that brat?”

Holding his hand up, Severus replied, tone smooth with just a smug hint to it, “Let me explain. If we can persuade Potter to our thinking then we have the key on our side. Dumbledore is depending on him to fulfill that damn prophecy and lead the charge, so to speak. Though he plans to help to give the advantage, everything on that side is geared towards Potter ending the thing. As we both know, the Dark Lord is so focused on Potter that most everything else is taking a backseat as he's convinced nothing can succeed until Potter is out for good. Taking Potter out of the equation is going to throw both sides into a huge turmoil. Of course, much will continue on but, if we play our cards right and persuade the brat to side with us, we can let both factions battle it out then step in at the last minute and end the mess with little to no effort on our end of things. In doing that, both of us and Potter will look like the ultimate heroes so no one would dare question our motives. That would ensure that anything we may have done before hand will be forgotten or ignored. Neither of us would be in danger of seeing the inside of Azkaban over anything. I'm sure that is something that you want to ensure. And, in being tied in with Potter, many doors would be opened to us once it's over.”

Thinking that over while one long finger traced the rim of his glass, Lucius stared out the window. Though he was loathe to throw his eggs into any basket that belonged to Potter, he was, realistically, the lesser of the three evils involved in this nightmare. And as young as he was, he could be persuaded to his and Severus' way of thinking whereas the other two couldn't. That made the whole thing more palatable than before. Also, there would be minimal risks of getting pulled into the maelstrom that was coming if they hid out and just gathered information until the final confrontation happened. With Severus being in both camps, all the information worth knowing could be passed along through him. That he could easily work with. Other than putting up with the brat, it was a do-able plan. Of course, they would have to train the boy beyond what he was learning at that school but he could manage that easily. With the scrapes the boy had come through, it showed that he had a modicum of talent so they could build on that. They also needed to ensure that no one found him. Again, that was something he could handle. But there were kinks in this that needed to be worked out.

Looking back at Severus, he told him, “I will concede that it does sound like something that has a chance. However, there is much to be hammered out. Such as how to 'persuade' Potter to join us and where to keep him. We can't let the boy run around on his own.”

“That I will concede, Lucius,” Severus nodded. “I've given this some thought since the Tri-Wizard tournament and have come up with something I think is workable.” With a smirk, he began to explain his plan.

The more he listened, a smirk began to grow on Lucius' face and he nodded. Oh yes, he was liking this plan! More and more as Severus talked as a matter of fact! There were, of course, downsides to it but it was the best alternative they had at the moment so he felt that it was something they should take. Whatever else cropped up and dealing with Potter himself could be handled as it arose. After interrupting here and there with several questions on his part, he motioned for Severus to continue on, pleased with what he was hearing.

When Severus finished, Lucius downed the rest of his drink then sat the glass aside. Looking intently at his old friend, he asked, voice as smooth as the finest silk, “When do you think we should put it in action? There is a short time line as to when we can do this before Dumbledore steps in or the Ministry machinations take over and force the hand of that side.”

“I say there is no time like the present. We have a window to do it tonight and I think we should take it. The sooner we put things in motion, the better off we are going to be. The Order has plans for Potter this summer and I'm not sure when they will be retrieving him so it's for the best that we move as quickly as we can. There is also the fact that the Ministry doesn't want to admit that the Dark Lord is back and that Potter is telling the truth. If we leave him there, with the campaign they are starting to discredit him, something is going to happen that might take him out of our hands in a way that will make it all but impossible to be able to grab him later on.”

Standing, Lucius nodded then said, voice weaving with confidence and arrogance, “We have much to do this evening and not much time to accomplish it if we're going to pull it off. I suggest we get to it!”

Sitting at his desk that night, Harry rubbed his eyes and he looked at the essay he was supposed to be working on. He had a couple feet done already but had at least one more to go. However, he couldn't concentrate on the bloody thing. The house was quiet now with the Dursleys out so his mind couldn't use the background noise around him to help stay focused. Instead, the silence let it wander to places he didn't want it to go, like Cedric's death and Voldemort's return. That wasn't conducive to helping him get anything done at all or being able to force himself to focus in another direction.

After what seemed like forever of getting nothing accomplished except staring that the dratted parchment and chewing on the tip of his quill, he was about to pack it in then lay down when a soft crack drew his attention. Immediately, his hand was on his wand and he was looking around. Standing up, he moved to the window then looked out but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. After standing there for a minute or so, he shook his head, sure that it was nothing but his imagination or a car backfiring somewhere. After all, nothing ever happened here and the wards on the house were supposed to keep him protected from almost everything until he officially became an adult. But there was just a feeling... Putting his wand on the desk, he grabbed his clothes then headed towards the bathroom to clean up then change. He guessed he was just jumpy with all the things that had gone on was all, nothing more than that. Maybe a nice hot shower would relax him, dissipating some of the stress he was feeling so that he could get some sleep.

Walking back into his bedroom after finishing, he tossed his clothes on his trunk then set about finishing his ablutions. After letting Hedwig out to hunt for the night, he rolled up his parchment then tossed it and his books into the trunk with a sigh, knowing it was less than useless to even attempt to continue on any longer. Just as he was closing the lid he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, feeling as though someone were watching him. Immediately, he looked for his wand, wanting it in his hand if something was happening. But, as he made a quick dash for it, he was hit with a spell. Having felt this before, he knew it was a stunner thus telling him that whatever he was dealing with was magical. Gritting his teeth, he waited for it to wear off so the fight could begin, wondering who it was that was attacking him and if it was Voldemort related. But, before that could happen, he was hit with another spell and went out like a light.

Sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place , there was another Order meeting going on. The topic was one that had been brought up several times already; the Ministry's vendetta against Harry and how to best protect him from it. As far as everyone was concerned, keeping Harry away from the Ministry and a close eye on him to prevent anything from happening that would bring the full weight of it down on the young man was the best option they had so far. But, because of the viciousness that was surrounding him and Fudge worrying Dumbledore wanted to overthrow him in some way, they all realized that it was just a matter of time before something happened that would walk Harry right into their hands.

As Sirius was once more lobbying for Harry to be brought there for the summer so he could keep an eye on him, something in Albus' robes went off, making a loud alarm-like sound. Instantly, the headmaster looked deadly serious and pulled an oval shaped crystal out. Seeing it flashing a deep red, the pitch of the alarm growing and the sound becoming more blaring, he snapped, “I need every able bodied being to Privet Drive. Something has breached the wards.” With that, he stood then apparated away with a loud crack. Quickly, that was followed by more repeated cracks as those attending the meeting followed the headmaster, hoping that it wasn't a full out attack on the house and Harry was safe.

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Shades of Grey