Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Lucky Strike	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Sirius Views: 76008 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this strange dance in JK Rowling's world.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
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Beta'd by the most amazing Tenchi, who I can't thank enough for all the hard work she does for me!

Just a reminder of what's on my profile; reviews complaining or whinging about the lack 'o sex in stories will get deleted. If you want a smut-filled romp, you need to find another story to read.

Chapter 1

Sitting up in bed, looking out the window at the sunshine, Sirius was running his fingers through the mop of hair on Harry's head, smiling slightly. Looking down, seeing the naked Harry draped partially over his lap, soundly sleeping, he couldn't help but smile. It had been a little over a year and a half since Lucius has rescued him from that disgusting life and Harry had changed, a lot. The fact that they were now allowed to call him Harry instead of Lucky was one of the big ones. There was more though, a lot more than people would ever know.
Rubbing his eyes, fingers slowly combing through the now longish, shoulder length, soft hair on Harry's head, he sighed. Honestly, none of them knew what to expect when it came to dealing with Harry after Lucius rescued him. They all assumed that there would be adjustment problems because of what he had gone through, but weren't prepared for just how bad it was.
That first night—for all of them, it had been the thing nightmares were made of. Getting the information they needed, learning just what Harry's life had been like, the things he had to do, how long it had gone on, all of it, had been horrific. Then there was the fact that Harry, rightfully so, had been leery of everyone, not trusting anyone but Lucius seemingly, about anything. The part with Lucius everyone understood. After all, he had been the one to rescue him, so that would be natural.
Once that chunk was over, something worse came next; the Healer. As was standard in such cases, a Healer had been brought in to check Harry, especially after Lucius had mentioned that he had seen blood after the show. It was then they had all learned how bad it was. Harry had required surgery that night to repair a rip he had suffered, one that would have killed him if left unattended. Add on the massive infection he was dealing with and it was bad. Even worse was the fact that Harry refused any kind of 'drugs' to knock him out during the surgery. He had been too uptight and wary to allow that to happen. They had managed to talk him into something akin to a Muggle epidural and pain killers, but his poor godson had been in agony while the procedure had been done. It was then the years of scarring, both internal and external, were found, with plenty of other damage that needed to be fixed. That meant this surgery was the first of several he was going to have to endure to fix the scarring and repair what was done to him. Even now, Harry still had two more to go through. One was to remove the last of the scarring, including the one right over his heart, then do the final repair of the damage years of sexual abuse had left behind.
Then came dealing with the 'system', as Snape called it. Mind Healers had gotten involved, wanting Harry in St. Mungo's for long-term treatment. All of them, especially Lucius, had vetoed that vehemently. Though he was Harry's godfather, what happened to young man had the courts involved. In the end, when they had the facts laid down to them of just what they were probably going to have to deal with when it came to Harry, and the problems he was going to have, they came up with something everyone could work with. Snape and Remus had moved into Grimmauld Place with him, both quitting Hogwarts to take on the role of parents, something that pleased the 'system'. He was there, of course, but even he admitted that with the way Harry was at that time, he was going to need help, a lot of it, when it came to problems. The other two were good with Harry. And, thankfully, Harry had attached to them in that parental role. He supposed, looking back, the fact that the two had taught for so long was more help than anyone would have thought. Last year, on the anniversary of Lucius rescuing Harry, the two had formally adopted the young man, with his happy consent given. Snape, though known for terrorizing students and everyone being frightened of him, was wonderful with Harry. From what the young man had told him, Harry liked that he knew just where he stood with the man and his blunt manner. That was easy for Harry to deal with. Remus was the 'softer' of the two, more kindhearted and apt to be the one that was easier to talk to. The combination of the two was what Harry needed.
If all of them thought that was bad, the worst was yet to come; Harry's behavior. The 'normal' for Harry, the only thing he had ever known in his life, was not normal for most people in the world. His godson was highly inappropriate about everything from language to what he did. The only thing Harry knew was sex. It's how he made his way in the world. Which meant, much to their astonishment, Harry thought that he had to 'pay' for what he was getting from them with sex. He would make passes at them, try, whatever. It had taken them, all, a year to get Harry to quit attempting to do that for the most part. Even now, if Harry was stressed, he would still try.
Sighing as he looked down at Harry, though happy with the peaceful expression on the young man's face, Sirius still felt some guilt over their relationship. It had started earlier in the year. Harry, despite having let off with the sexual part with Remus and Severus, hadn't with him or Lucius. Lucius was different as Harry saw him differently, something they could all deal with. In the end, he learned that what was there when it came to him was, honestly, Harry found him attractive and wanted a relationship, not just a sexual one. As the only thing Harry knew was sexual when it came to expressing things, that's how he had gone about it. Though leery of it, after talking with Snape and Remus, he had gone there. Guilt was there over it, but it happened. And, truthfully, he adored it. Harry, when he was alone with him, was fun. They did all kinds of things together and had a good time. Sex had just come later was all, when he was sure that Harry wanted more than just that. Now, well, they were 'established' as Remus called it. Though many frowned on it, Remus and Snape didn't, understanding it in a way most never could.
Rubbing his eyes, Sirius then shut them and leaned his head back. There were so many problems still to deal with. Harry was getting better, though it was taking time. His godson was in therapy twice a week with one day a week of family counseling involving all of them. It was helping, everyone knew that.
The language problem with Harry was getting better. Him calling women cunts and using the word fuck in every sentence was slowly diminishing. In fact, it had been months since he had said either in the house. Snape had come up with a way to work with that particular problem with a rewards system, something Harry responded to. They couldn't do much about outside the house, like when he and Harry went somewhere alone, but it was working at home. It was even diminishing outside the house as the habit was becoming ingrained, something they all liked.
There were also problems when Harry was stressed. He would come across with all kinds of details about what his life was like as a way to shock people, thus getting them to back away. Even Sirius understood that when Harry exhibited that behavior he was frightened of something or unnerved so forcing someone to back off by stunning them was his way of dealing with it. After all, most people were going to all but run away screaming when Harry came across with the details about what it was like to have been forced to have sex with a dog. He was getting better about it, no doubt there, but it still happened once in a while.
The hatred of women was still a big one. None of them, including Harry's Mind Healer, knew where that came from and Harry wouldn't talk about it with anyone. All they knew was the despicable person that 'owned' Harry before the one Lucius bought him from was a woman. They assumed that was part of it, but didn't know. As of now, the only one that could be around Harry and touch him, though she still had to warn him first, was Narcissa. All of them knew that probably had more to do with Lucius than anything else. After all, anyone attached to Lucius was going to get the benefit of the doubt with Harry. Even then, it had taken Cissy a very long time for Harry to get comfortable with her. It was still ongoing. Madam Bones was iffy. Harry had to deal with her many times by now. The relationship was one of a sort of respect. Madam Bones understood what she was dealing with and treated Harry respectfully. Harry, on his end, understood that she a person of authority that would act respectable with him and not try anything. At least it was something.
Then came the myriad of smaller problems. Harry could read, barely. It was, maybe, at a fourth grade level and only because some of the older kids he had been around taught him. He had never been to school which meant they had to work with him to improve his basic skills so they could actually teach him magic. He had a wand now so he could learn some things, like transfiguration, defense and charms. Other things, because it required reading, had to wait. Then there were ones that were on indefinite hold because Harry wouldn't even begin to know how to look up something in a book to do an essay. They were working with it, no doubt, but it was slow going. Defense was coming first, before anything else, as Harry had, when he came to live with them, a propensity for carrying Muggle weapons on him all the time. That they all understood. It had just taken them a great deal of time to teach the young man that the only 'weapon' he needed was a wand and to stop carrying the others.
Beyond that there were things like the smoking and drinking. Harry still smoked. None of them, no matter what they tried, could get him to quit. However, he did smoke only in the room they shared or outside. He didn’t in the rest of the house at Remus and Severus’ request. The drinking they had better luck with.
When Harry finally admitted that he had a couple beers to calm him down so he could think, they had worked with it. At first, they tried talking him into taking potions that could help. That didn't work. They learned the young man had been forced to take all kinds of drugs over the years and was understandably leery of them. They all assumed that he had seen friends get hooked on some of them as well. For now, because Harry just didn't understand much about how Magical and Muggle things differed, they couldn't convince him to take much of anything that would actually help him. Instead, they had gone about it another way and helped him deal with the stress rather than try to do something to alleviate it by artificial means. Occasionally, Harry still had a couple beers when things were bad. The difference was they were offered to him, not because he asked. When he hit a certain level of stress he was having issues dealing with and nothing else worked, they would offer him one and it helped. They all knew it wasn't the best way to go about things, but it was all they had.
Animals were the worst though. Learning just how bad some things were when it came to some of what he had to do, the animals came as no surprise. For the first six months, he wasn't even able to change into Padfoot around Harry as the young man would panic then go into defense mode, hurting the trust they were desperately trying to build. He would frighten any animal away that came around him, including owls. That was something that had to be dealt with as owls were a requirement. With Severus working from home, brewing for many now, something that made him far more money than he ever had teaching, owls were always streaming in, so Harry had to learn to deal with them. It had taken time, but it was getting better.
Opening his eyes, Sirius looked at Hedwig on her perch and smiled. She was Harry's, an owl that had taken to him when they went to buy him one after some work with the Mind Healer. As she was very mild mannered and would act affectionately with him, she had helped a lot so Harry no longer had issues with the many owls coming and going because he now saw them as harmless. Then had come working with the 'furry creatures'. Somewhere in the room, probably under the bed where the house elves they had acquired from Lucius put food, was Tribble, Harry's puffskein. That had been the first foray into the 'furry' animal part. As they were harmless and nothing but a round ball of fluff that was soothing, it had worked. Harry actually found the creature's humming relaxing, something good. They were now starting to press on from there. It was getting better, no doubt, but they figured Harry would never be fully comfortable around animals. All they hoped was that he wouldn't hurt them or try to drive them off because of fear.
There was so much there, but there was hope as well. One of the things they learned was that the reason Harry had been relegated to the shows he had been was because he refused to do some things, like try to recruit other teens for the people or 'train' the younger kids. That meant that there were morals there and certain boundaries he wouldn't cross, something that had worried so many. And, though it shocked them, he wasn't violent. He could become that way if threatened or fearing harm, but he wasn't normally. That was good, something they worked with.
Leaning his head back against the wall, Sirius shut his eyes again. Right now, like both Snape and Remus, he was of the opinion that if Dumbledore hadn’t been killed by someone, probably Bella, after he dropped Harry off that night on the doorstep, he would kill the man himself with his bare hands. This—it never should have happened, ever. And it was so hard to deal with. They were working with it, though, and would continue to do so. It was all they could do because they weren't going to give up on Harry. He wasn't going to give up on Harry.

Eating his breakfast, leaning against Sirius as he did, Harry asked Severus, “Draco went back to school yesterday, didn't he?”
“He did. Easter break is over,” Severus told him, lowering the newspaper to look at the young man. “It'll only be a couple months until he's done for the summer.” Smirking, he said, “You still unnerve him, you know. We tell him you like him, but he's leery of you.”
Chuckling, Harry grinned then took another bite of his eggs before saying, “I like him fine. He's strange, at least to me, but its fun to watch him twitch. He likes to put on airs that he's so unflappable that I get a kick out of watching him flap a little.”
Snorting in amusement at that, Severus shook his head.
“It's good you have at least one friend your age, Harry,” Remus said softly, smiling at him. “The rest you're close to are so much older.”
Wrinkling his nose, Harry shook his head, “Most of the ones that hang out with Draco are little oiks that I can't stand. All they are is brown-nosers that are trying to get in good with Draco. That shite is annoying as hell. Everyone else around my age I've met I don't fit in with. I rather like the older ones.”
“The quantity doesn't matter,” Remus told him gently. “At least there is someone. We've talked about the other part and understand, don't worry. I think they find you as off-putting as you do them.”
Nodding, shoveling more food in his mouth, Harry swallowed then asked, “Didn't we have something we were going to do today? Not another Mind Healer appointment, I hope.”
“No, no Mind Healer,” Severus said with a shake of his head. “That's in a couple days. Today we're going to get you some new clothes. You look like you've had a couple powerful stretching jinxes put on you by now and the spells on the clothes to grow with you are at their limit, so it's time to get some new ones.” Lowering his voice, smirking, he said, “We're going to get you that dragonhide jacket you wanted so much too, the one that looks like the Muggle leather motorcycle jacket. And, since you've gone three months without using the forbidden words in the house, you get to pick out another gift you want.” Seeing the grin there, he smirked. Those were things Harry wanted so he was going to put them out first before bringing up the one uncomfortable event that was coming. Quietly, he added, “Then we're going to the pet store. You said you had narrowed down your choice of what you wanted, didn't you?”
Shifting slightly, leaning more heavily against Sirius, Harry sighed. This was part of his therapy; getting a mammal as a pet. He was still unnerved by that, but had three in mind he thought he could deal with. It was just that he didn't like being around so many of the creatures in the shop. “Yeah, I did,” he said, shaking his head, pushing his food around on the plate with his fork, looking sour.
Remus' first instinct was to back off that plan because it was something that made Harry uncomfortable, obviously. He didn't though. This was something they were planning and it would help, so he couldn't. Quietly, he asked, “What choices have you narrowed it down to?”
“Well, I was looking at the ferrets, a cat or that big rabbit they had,” Harry said, poking at his food then taking another bite.
“Is there one of them you're leaning more towards than the other?” Severus asked, knowing if Harry talked it out they might do better when they got there. All he hoped was that it wasn't the bloody ferret. He didn't like those things at all or the chaos that seemed to come with them.
“Well, the ferret is playful, at least what I saw. That book you had me read about some of the animals said they are fairly energetic. I'm not sure about that end of things,” Harry explained, looking at him.
“They are,” Sirius confirmed, nodding. “They are all over the place and into things.”
“I don't think that's something I'd like,” Harry shook his head, brow furrowed. “I don't know. It's a choice still, but I'm not leaning in that direction.”
Pleased with that, Severus nodded and told him, “If you don't think you would be comfortable with the behavior, it's best you not try for a ferret. What about a cat?”
“Well, I'm not sure on that one either,” Harry admitted, shoving his empty plate away and sipping at his tea. “Cats are alright, they are. They are just—I don't know what the word is—prickly I guess. You never know what to do with them. Sometimes they want to be held and petted, but other times they want to rip you to shreds and be left alone. I don't think I'd be good at reading signals like that. The ones I saw last time we went in seemed fine. They were around other cats though. I'm not sure about alone with those.”
“Cats can be very odd about things,” Remus told him with a nod. “They have some behaviors that are very endearing, the reason so many love them. However, they do have traits that many find less desirable. If you aren't a 'cat person', you may not adjust well to having one around.”
Sighing, Harry shook his head. “I don't know there either, honestly.”
“What about the rabbit?” Sirius asked, looking at him as he sipped his coffee.
“The rabbit I liked,” Harry admitted, grinning a little. “It's bloody huge! That's a little unnerving. I mean, when you think rabbits, you think smaller animals. That one is just massive.”
“Continental Giants get very big,” Severus confirmed, looking at him. “That was the breed listed on the cage, if I remember right. It's a magical version of course, something that probably makes him slightly bigger. What is it you liked about the rabbit that you didn't with the other animals?”
“I don't know, really,” Harry admitted with a shrug. “I think part of it is that he was just not aggressive in any way. All he wanted was to be held and curl up to me. The ferrets and cats were all over the place. The book said rabbits do like to play and all that, not to mention chew on things, but it didn't list behaviors like were with the cat or ferret. I think I would be more comfortable with that. From what I read, they are about like other animals in that some are really friendly and others are mean. That one doesn't seem mean at all.”
“No, he didn't,” Remus said, shaking his head. “I think he was very calm and had quite an amiable personality. He didn't mind being petted or held by anyone.” Stopping, he smiled a little then said, quietly, “He did seem to really like you though. I think he took to you more than he did anyone else.”
“I did like him,” Harry confirmed with a nod.
“I believe we have more than enough room for him,” Severus said, sending their now empty plates to the sink to be cleaned. “The house is big enough to give him room to roam. Your room is certainly big enough for him to stay in and play, not to mention hold the cage it would take for him. We also have a backyard he can get out in. Another plus is the food he eats is something we can easily get as it's something we consume anyway and just supplement it with the kibble you get in pet stores for vitamins.”
“I'm leaning heavily towards the rabbit for this,” Harry said, scratching his head. This was one of those things all three were pushing him to do so he knew he would end up getting one of them, despite the fact he wasn't all that comfortable with it.
“How about this; we take another look at all three when we get there and you decide then,” Remus suggested. “Maybe you'll get a better feel for what you want when you encounter them again.”
“I could easily go without any of them,” Harry sighed, shaking his head. “Tribble and Hedwig are fine with me. I'll look though.”
“We all think it's a good idea, Harry,” Sirius said, slipping his arm around the young man and pulling him close. “Whatever animal you chose will give you companionship in a way Tribble and Hedwig can't.”
“Alright,” Harry said, looking slightly sour, pulling a face.
Knowing it was best to get off the topic before it grew worse, Remus asked, “What other gift do you think you want? It's your choice, within reason of course.”
Brightening up, Harry said, “That CD player the new shop had!” There was a shop that just opened in the alley that catered to the Muggle-borns which carried some electronics that they would be familiar with, but were magically enhanced and would work in most Magical places.
Snorting and smirking, Severus said, “Why am I not surprised?” He knew Harry adored Muggle music as his favorite place to eat lunch was a small club not far from Grimmauld Place called The Rock Palace. During the day it was a restaurant that ran music videos on big screens. At night it was a club for fifteen year olds to adults. Sirius, Harry and Lucius liked to go there at night to have fun, something he and Remus didn't object to as no alcohol was served. “We can get that. However, you will have to buy your own music for it. We can stop a couple places when we finish in the alley to get what you want. I believe there is a Muggle music store not far from the Leaky Cauldron.”
Grinning, Harry nodded. “Works for me. I have plenty of money in the vaults after all.”
“That you do,” Remus said, nodding. “And you can get what you want as you're very good at not splurging.” Harry, actually, was quite wealthy. What his parents left him was more than enough to get him by for most of his life. Lucius, too, had contributed to his wealth. The man had received a huge reward for rescuing Harry, on top of reimbursement from the Ministry for what he had 'bought' Harry for. Rather than keep it for himself, Lucius had given it to Harry as a way to make up for no one being able to find him for so long. Lucius' thinking was that it was something that could make the young man's life easier after having suffered for so long. Harry liked it as he didn't feel pressured to have to 'earn his keep' and could contribute to whatever if needed, something they didn't. It seemed to make him feel better.
“Since we're all done eating, what do you say we get going then? We can finish early that way,” Sirius suggested. Seeing nods, he stood then followed Harry up to the room they shared to get ready.

Hand on Harry's back, Sirius guided the young man through the mass of people in Diagon Alley. As crowds were something Harry had problems with, this was always stressful for him. Since Harry was so well known, people tended to either gawk when they saw the scar or tried to come over to them, which didn't help either. Snape was flanking him on the other side, something that did help as the man was definitely intimidating. Remus, too, was sticking close.
Like always, shopping with Harry was supremely stressful for more reasons than just the crowd. As he didn't deal well with women, they had to work around that to use male clerks, especially when it came to fitting clothes. Harry wouldn't allow any woman at all to touch him to do measurements or whatnot. Today had gone well with that, thankfully. Harry had new jeans, tops, underclothes and robes, something he needed. He also got the jacket he wanted, something he was wearing right now, along with the new dragonhide boots and the CD player with some speakers for it. All that was left was the pet store, then they were going to have lunch before going to get Harry some music.
Guiding Harry into one of the smaller pet stores, the one they had been coming to as it wasn't nearly as busy, Sirius kept the hand on his back and said, softly, “What do you want to look at first?”
Seeing the cats that were loose chasing each other around, playing, Harry shook his head and sighed, “Let's do the ferrets first then go from there.” Keeping an eye on the cats, looking warily around at the other animals, he allowed himself to be led over to the cages where the ferrets were.
While looking at the ferrets, listening to the shop owner explain their behavior, something Severus had the man doing, Harry was distracted by a thumping noise. Looking back, he could see the rabbit in the pen on the floor, something that looked like a playpen for kids, standing on his hind legs, front paws propped on the top of it, looking at him, nose twitching. Grinning a little, tuning out what was said, he turned to look at the rabbit that seemed to be zeroed in on him. It was the same huge black one with grey on his belly and the bottom of his paws that he had seen last time.
Noticing Harry's distraction, Sirius looked back and grinned, nudging Snape. Jerking his head the direction of the rabbit, he looked at the man.
Cutting off the shop owners explanation, Severus said to Harry, “If you want, go on over and see him.”
Nodding, Harry made his way towards where the rabbit was. Once there, he crouched down then picked up the big creature and held him, liking how the animal immediately curled up to him, head tucked under his chin. Petting the rabbit, he stood, looking down at him.
Walking over and standing by Harry, Remus put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before telling him, “I think he chose you, Harry.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Harry agreed, petting the rabbit,.
“Do you still want to look at the cats?” Remus asked.
Glancing up to see the cats playing, Harry shook his head. “No, I think I want the rabbit.”
“I think the rabbit is a good choice,” Severus said, coming up behind them and looking at the creature. So far, that's the only animal Harry seemed interested in doing more than looking at. In fact, he hadn't expressed a desire to pick any of the others up other than a few of the reptiles. That, they thought, had more to do with how curious looking some of them were than anything else. Looking at the shop owner, he said, “We'll take the rabbit and whatever is needed for him.” Looking back at Harry, he nodded towards the harnesses for the animals and said, “Go pick one of those out and a leash so you can take him outside. We'll get the cage and everything else we need.” Stopping, he smirked then asked, “What are you going to name him?” As there was no name on the pen, it was something Harry was going to get to do himself.
Thinking it over, then grinning, Harry chuckled before saying, “BugsZilla.”
Getting the combination of names, Severus snorted in amusement, smirking. “Good name, Harry,” he told the young man, patting him on the shoulder.

Looking down at the rabbit, still petting him as he held him, Harry said, “Let's go find you a harness, Bugs.”
Seeing the confused look on Black and Remus' face, Severus quickly explained where the name came from, still highly amused by it. Shaking his head, he sent Black over to help Harry while he got with the clerk. As they picked out what was needed, he asked, “What magical attributes does the rabbit have? I know some do odd things, like turning into a hat. We've not seen anything from him so we want to be prepared for anything odd as to not have it startle Harry.”
Setting aside what was picked out, the owner shook his head and said, “I’m really not sure. He's not shown much of anything. We think, from what we've seen, that what magic he does have is more empathic. He's an animal that is calming to hold, everyone's mentioned that. I think the only reason he's still here is that he's so big, nothing more. When people want a rabbit as a pet, they want something smaller, not one as big as him. He's going to require a lot of space, more than many have.”
Looking at Harry and Black picking out a harness, Severus nodded, “The empathic I can see. Harry doesn't take well to animals. This one he seems to.”
“He should do well with your young man,” the owner said, nodding. Lowering his voice, he added, “With what I read in the papers, the rabbit may help him. He's good with all that have come in contact with him. I've never seen an aggressive move out of him, even when handled too roughly. No, he made a good choice there.” Seeing Severus nod, he pushed the rabbit kibble aside then said, “I'll tell you what; don't get that. I know you brew, so I'll give you the standard nutrient potion details for rabbits. That will be better for him than the kibble. A couple drops in the water bowl every time you fill it will do. Just make sure he eats plenty of greens. He should do fine with that. I'll toss in a book on rabbit care for free.”
Liking that, Severus nodded. “We'll get the setup and send it home. The rabbit can go with us as Harry can hold him.”
Settling up with the man, the shop owner passed him a card and the certification for the rabbit. “That's a good Animal Healer to use. He has all his inoculations and is neutered, so only the standard visits each year are all he needs. I've not had any problems with his health, so he shouldn't have any issues.”
Pleased with that, Severus pocketed what he was given then, with a nod, went to go get Harry.
Walking out of the store, grinning at the rabbit Harry was still holding, Sirius asked, “Where do you want to go for lunch? The Leaky Cauldron? Or do you have somewhere else in mind?”
“The Leaky Cauldron is fine,” Harry said, stroking the rabbit's back.
About to say something, Severus looked up and gave an amused snort, “I think we may have some company for lunch. Look who's coming in our direction, Harry.”
Glancing up, Harry grinned a little and gave a short wave to Narcissa, who was coming their way.
Hurrying over to the four, Narcissa looked at the rabbit Harry was holding, eyes wide. When in front of them, she said, tone awed, almost squealing, “Oh, he is adorable, Harry! Is that what you picked out?” Reaching out, she stroked the rabbit's head, smiling.
“Yeah, this is BugsZilla,” Harry told her. Snorting, he grinned bigger then said, “Your girl-like tendencies are showing, Miss Cissy, 'cause you almost did the squeal thing there.”
Knowing what that meant, Narcissa looked at the young man and smiled, shaking her head. Harry always, since allowing her to get closer, told her she was one of the guys that had girl-like tendencies, something she finally realized was his form of a compliment. Going with that, she said, “I can't help it. He's adorable!” Looking Harry up and down, she said, nodding in approval, “You look very nice. I like the jacket and those boots.”
“Thanks,” Harry told her, shifting a little uncomfortably. He still had problems taking compliments from people as most that had done so in the past meant them in a sexual way. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Is Lucius around?” Lucius always made him feel better and more at ease. Though he was comfortable around Miss Cissy now, he still felt better if Lucius was there.
“He should be here any minute. He just went into Gringotts to tend to some matters.” Looking around, she said, “We were going to lunch when he finishes. Care to join us?”
“As we were about to do the same, that works well,” Severus nodded.
Seeing Lucius walking in their direction, Narcissa smiled at her husband and waited. “Did you have anywhere in particular in mind? We hadn't decided yet.”
“We were going to the Leaky,” Remus said.
“That's just fine,” Narcissa smiled, nodding. “We can get the back room so we won't be bothered.” Sliding her arm through her husbands' when he stepped up by her, she said, “We're all going to go to lunch together.”
Reaching out to ruffle Harry's hair, seeing the young man grin at him, Lucius then petted the rabbit's head and said, smirking, “Leave it to you to get a monster-sized rabbit, Harry.”
Chuckling, Harry shook his head, “He picked me, I think. I can go with it though.”
“He does seem to like you, that's for sure,” Lucius observed, looking at the way the rabbit was curled up to him. “Now, let's go get something to eat, shall we?” Patting his wife's hand, he led them towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Sitting crosslegged on the bench at the kitchen table after the supper dishes were cleared off, Harry was helping sort through the mail that had come that day while they were out. As always, most of it was for Severus and dealt with contracts for his potions brewing business. There were a few for Remus and Sirius as well. Tossing things into stacks, he stopped, brow furrowed, when he saw one for himself. Opening it, he read through the advertisement then grinned, nudging Sirius. “The Palace is having a Freddie for a Day contest this week. They are giving away all kinds of prizes. I think you, I and Lucius should enter.”
Looking over at what Harry was holding, Sirius asked, “What's Freddie for a Day?”
Quickly, Harry explained who Queen and Freddie Mercury were then about the foundation set up after Freddie died. “What it is you dress up as him from one of the videos they did, making sure you have a mustache on, and the one that dresses the best wins. The proceeds and that go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, so it's for a good cause. We need to try this!”
Chuckling, grinning from ear to ear, Sirius nodded, “Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun. We should. I think Lucius would like it as well. You know the videos I take it?” Seeing Harry nod, he added, “Alright, I think we can do this. We'll come up with something.”
Taking that in, Severus nodded, liking what he was hearing. As he had grown up among Muggles, he knew just what Harry was talking about. Seeing a confused look from Remus, he leaned over and promised to explain it later, then said to Harry, “I think that's something worthwhile and for a good cause. Plus, you'll have fun. I say you should do it.”
Grinning bigger, Harry chuckled before nudging Sirius and said, “You'd look good in those tight leather shorts he wore at the end of that one concert I saw a vid for.”
Eyebrows arched, Sirius looked at Harry then grinned and shook his head, “What's the rest of the costume he had on?”
“Uh—a leather engineers cap,” Harry laughed.
“No way, Harry!” Sirius laughed. “I'm not going out in public dressed in only that.”
“You'd look great!” Harry grinned. “Very hot.”
“Pick another costume,” Sirius told him, shooting a mock glare in his direction.
“You could always pick a pair of those ballet pants or bodysuits he wore on stage, complete with the slippers,” Severus added helpfully, smirking as he sipped his drink. Hearing Remus give an amused snort at that image, he just smirked bigger.
“Oh, hell no,” Sirius said, glaring at Snape. “I've seen those things. There is no way I'm going out in public dressed like that!”
Laughing, leaning against Sirius, Harry said, “We'll find something. Maybe the bit from Killer Queen or something. I don't know.” Stopping, brow furrowed as he heard a thumping coming in their direction, Harry watched the door push open then Bugs hop in, making his way towards them. Grinning a little, chuckling, he reached down and picked up the rabbit, holding him. “How did you get out of your cage and get down the stairs? I know I locked it.” Petting the rabbit, he had one of the elves bring over some lettuce and began to feed him.
As one of the first things they taught Harry to help him get over some of the issues with feeling safe were locking and warding charms, Sirius knew the young man had ensured the cage was secured so he wondered just how the rabbit had gotten out. However, since it seemed the creature just wanted to find Harry and be held, he said, “We'll make sure to double check next time. He's good though.” Reaching out, he scratched between the rabbit's ears, liking that Harry seemed relaxed around him. “Now, we have to let Lucius know and find something for him too.”
“Yeah. Maybe we can pop over to the Palace for lunch tomorrow and get them to run some of the vids to get an idea of what to do,” Harry said, petting the rabbit.
“I think all of us should go. That way I can get a feel for what you're talking about,” Remus said, looking at Harry.
“Yes, your reaction to Freddie Mercury should be most interesting,” Severus said smoothly, smirking. “As should Black's when he realizes what he's getting himself into.” Seeing cautious looks tossed in his direction from the two mentioned, he then asked, “Any idea what you're going to try, Harry?”
Snorting then laughing, Harry said, “Oh, I gotta do the bit from the first part of I Want To Break Free. That will be a laugh riot!”
Sputtering, knowing what the young man was talking about, Severus about choked on his drink. Wiping the dribbles from his chin, he shook his head, “And that will be most interesting to see!”
“Yeah, gonna have some problems there with it,” Harry said, scratching his head. “The heels—not sure about those things or if I could walk in them.”
Catching the inference, Sirius' eyes widened as he shot Severus and Remus a bewildered look, “Heels? As in high heels like women wear?”

“Yeah,” Harry grinned. “Freddie dressed in drag for a chunk of that vid. It should be a laugh riot!”
Rubbing his eyes, Remus shook his head, chuckling, “Harry—that is strange.”
“Freddie was odd, but great!” Harry grinned at him.
“I'll explain it later, I promise,” Severus told his husband, shaking his head. “It's strange sounding, but it'll make sense when you hear it.”

“I hope so, Severus, because it doesn’t listening to it right now!” Remus said, grinning slightly.
“Just to be clear here, Harry; I'm not dressing in drag,” Sirius laughed. “I draw the line at drag dressing. Lucius—he's up for anything.”
“We'll find you something good, I promise,” Harry nodded, looking down at Bugs, who was happily munching the lettuce.

Looking around the small house they were in, Albus nodded then glanced at Lily, James and their three kids. “We can manage with this. It'll only be for a few days then we'll be able to get you in one of your estates.”
Sighing, shaking his head, James said, “I hope this goes smoothly, Albus. I know it's not going to be easy, but I don't imagine some people are going to take it well.”
“It will,” Albus told him with a wave of his hand.
Making sure the kids were fine, Lily shook her head. “I hope Harry is fine with this. Well, I'm sure he'll be mad at first, what with us just leaving him with Petunia, but we should be able to convince him it was something we had to do.”
“We will,” James said, patting her on the back.
“I'm sure there will be some problems, but once everyone hears the reason, we should be fine,” Albus soothed. Clapping his hands, he said, “Well, let's get to work and set up what's need to make this comfortable. Then we'll send the elves out to stock the larder.” Seeing everyone nod, he went off to check the warding and other things. If some of the signs he read were right, it was time they came back. Now he had to catch up with some people to be filled in. As this would be the right time for Harry to come into his own, it was perfect for them to prepare to fight the evil that hadn't died with the first war.

A.N.- Alright, a few notes here.

First, for those not familiar with the rabbit I was referring to, this is a Continental Giant as compared to a human....

http://www.freewebs.com/continentalgiantrabbits/sizedoesmatter.htm

I wasn't joking when I said BugsZilla!

Second, Freddie for a Day is a real event. If you Google it, you'll find pages about it. Though I made up the contest, it is something very worthwhile to aid in a wonderful cause.

Finally, this is the video Harry was referring to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRdo7WXTVoM

It is the first chunk of the guy with the vacuum, for those that don't know Queen.

-The PsychoFruit
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