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Well, Ain't That Strange?	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 56080 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this story

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
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.

Beta'd by the most amazing Tenchi, who I can't thank enough for all the hard work she does for me!

And thanks to Lynn who works with me when it comes to flow, continuity and other issues.

Chapter 21

Finishing up what he had to impart, Lucius relaxed back in his chair. “I just finished checking on the house. It's all going according to plan and on schedule. That's perfect. We have as much in place as we can get on the other end. Sirius is doing everything he can with the forms as fast as he gets them. I'm, of course, double checking them to ensure nothing is off and no one is trying to pull a fast one with what's there. We don't think that will happen, obviously, as these are legal forms that no one is likely to muck with, but we are thinking along the lines of its better safe than sorry. All this means we've got as much on track as we can get on that end. As the time grows closer to us getting out, with the start of term looming, we do think it's best to turn the heat up. In fact, we may want to start now. The more on edge everyone is, the more likely some, especially Severus, will do what we need to give Sirius the proper excuse to close the house. It's my thought that such matters come from an external source rather than something one of us may try so it would look better.” Stopping, he looked at the Dark Lord and waited.
Giving a pleased nod, Tom told him, “I'll turn up the heat a tad. Then start with Severus. The more I poke at him or make him feel like he's under some kind of stress, the more it'll help all of you. We'll manage, Lucius. You can pass that along from me. Just hold up your end of the mess and I'll take on mine.” Leaning back in his chair, petting Nagini, who was draped over his shoulders, his eyes flitted to Narcissa, who was seated next to her husband, then asked, “Is there a reason you asked for Narcissa to sit in?” He didn't have an issue with that, of course, assuming it was something along the lines of Lucius needing her to tend to something for him as his time here today was far more limited than normal.
“Yes,” Lucius nodded. Smirking, he added, “Nothing stressful, I assure you. Then I have a favor to ask. It will involve a missive to Arabella from you.” Quickly, he gave a rundown of what he discussed with Sirius about Harry's approaching birthday. “I'll pass along the clothing sizes so that can be taken on. Narcissa, you're a far better judge than I am when it comes to the younger set as you tend to this area with Draco. That and anything the two of you feel Harry might like would be most helpful.”
Happy to have something to do that would 'aid the cause', even if it was a minor area like this that didn't mean much, Narcissa told her husband, “I'll take care of it and find him something quite nice. Get me the sizes and I'll start on it today.”
Handing over the paper that had Harry's measurements on it, Lucius told her, “He doesn't have any robes or such other than what's used for school, so use your judgment on what you think is best and that he can use. I would also keep in mind that this will all look like it’s coming from Sirius, so judge accordingly with that tidbit.”
“I believe it's something I can handle,” Narcissa smiled, slipping the paper in her pocket. “I'll also keep an eye out for anything else he may like. Draco may not know him well, but he might have an idea of what he would enjoy.” Softening her tone, she asked, “If it's alright, I would like to pass along some presents from us as well. I do realize he doesn't know us well, or in the case of Draco, have a good relationship, but I feel it's a goodwill gesture that can only help.”
“That's fine,” Lucius told her, pleased. “We can ensure he knows who they are from with the proper names on the tags where no one else will be any the wiser.”
“I'll add in something myself,” Tom told him with a nod. “Now, what is it we need to get Arabella involved with? I assume it's not complex.”
“It's not,” Lucius assured him with a dismissive wave. Quirking his lips, he added, “It's just her area of expertise.” Then he explained the idea about the cat. “It's something we want him to have, for various reasons. I assume that it will just take time to find such an animal is all as it would probably be a cat with Magical attributes.”
“I'll send the normal intermediary over to her with a request,” Tom told him with a soft chuckle. “She can probably either find one for us or point us where to look. Let's see what she can do. Anything else we need to know?” He assumed there wasn't much as Lucius had made it clear he had to get back quickly today.
“No, other than I need both of you to prepare for something that will make my time limited when it comes to being around some days,” Lucius told them before imparting what Sirius talked about. “Sirius assured me that he'll give fair warning to know ahead of time when he'll be gone, so I can pass that along beforehand. In this matter, I do agree with him; if he's not around, I need to be there. Lupin will do his best, but I can manage better and get word to Sirius that he needs to return.”
“You'll get no quibble on my end over it,” Tom told him honestly, seeing Narcissa nod as well. “Put in place what you need to protect Harry. If it's an emergency, I can get word to you. If you need help or a distraction that's big, let me know and I'll do what I can.” He was happy that Lucius and Sirius were adept at taking on what was coming in a way that meant he didn't have to involve himself much to help. The more his hand stayed out of what was going on, the better they were all going to end up.

Chuckling as the clothes scattered all over the kitchen converged into a messy pile on the table, Harry shook his head. Petting Lucius, who was seated on his lap, on the head, he told the amused Remus, “At least they made it into a pile on the table this time! That's better than the clothes going all over like they did on the last attempt.”
“Very true,” Remus said, chuckling himself. As Sirius was out tending to an appointment with his solicitor, he was taking on teaching Harry some of the standard spells for household areas as something to do since they got the official notice the Trace was gone. At the moment, they were working on a clothes folding charm that summoned then folded them. As would be expected when just starting with such a charm, it was producing some interesting effects, though nothing harmful. Once Harry got the folding down, he would work on the next one that sorted them according to what they were. After that, they would press on with one that packed them neatly. Sending them scattering again, he said, “You're getting closer. Good. I think it'll just take a few more times for you to have it down. Give it another go.”
Grinning, Harry cast the charm again. This time it did work better. The clothes not only summoned, but started to fold before collapsing into another pile. Which meant he just needed to practice it a couple more times to have it work correctly. Taking a sip of his drink, he looked up when he heard the door open, wondering who it was. When he saw it was Mrs. Weasley, carrying in some packages, he was curious what was going on.
Smiling at the two, though eying the laundry on the table, she took a seat across from them then put the packages beside her on the table. “I assume there's a reason for laundry on the table?”
Explaining what they were doing, Remus chuckled, “We thought it was a constructive use of our time. Once we finish this area, we're going to work on a few others that Harry can use later in life.”
“Hogwarts needs to cover more of these spells,” Molly told them with a smile. Pushing the packages over, she said, “Bill and Fleur took the book lists provided by Alastor and picked up all of them for you. He also knew a few more that he thought you could use when it came to curses and the like. This way all of you can press on to see if you can find more. He and Charlie, both, also dug through their belongings to find some of what they had for other areas. As they aren't the same ones used anymore, it might help. Kingsley told Bill that he's going to put out a few feelers to see what other Aurors think are good books to use so you can look into those as well. Since Fleur is over at the house while I went out to get groceries, I thought it was a perfect time to bring them over.”
“It's greatly appreciated,” Remus told her sincerely as he looked through what as there, happy there were plenty that looked most useful. “The more we have, the more we can get in place when it comes to what we plan to teach.”
“Thanks,” Harry told her, looking over Remus' shoulder at the books as he petted the purring Lucius. Chuckling, he added, “There is a ton here! It looks rather daunting.”
“We'll get it sorted through,” Remus told him, patting him on the shoulder. “You won't cover everything in them and I'm sure there is plenty you already know, so you won't have to worry about that. Never fear, we'll cut it down in size.”
“That's part of the reason why we wanted you to get them quickly. You can get a leg up on what is there before the start of term,” Molly told them. Glancing at Harry, she gave an internal sigh. She still wasn't comfortable with what she knew was going on, but was dealing accordingly. Arthur and Bill, both, had assured her that there was nothing to worry about when it came to the relationship there. In fact, Bill had repeatedly told her that Harry was quite happy, probably more than he had been in quite some time. He explained that he had seen the two together plenty of times and that there was nothing off. From what she was told, Harry didn't act any differently than he ever had, other than it seemed like he was far happier than before. It was still just the idea, especially since she had children close in age to Harry.
Looking around, she asked quietly, “Where is Sirius?” That was something she was curious about as he wasn't one to leave Harry alone unless it was an issue that was big.
“At his solicitors handling matters dealing with schooling and such,” Remus told her. “I said I would stay put until he got back. We don't expect issues, of course, but thought it for the best. From my understanding, he won't be long, so it's nothing to fret over.” What he didn't add was that none of them, even with Lucius around as Hobbes, were going to leave Harry alone though Harry wouldn't do something foolish. That would be too great an opportunity for someone to try something quite stupid that would result in all kinds of issues.
Understanding, Molly nodded, smiling. Focusing on Harry, she asked, “Is there anything you would like for your birthday? Something special? We're all planning on coming over, of course. Arthur thought it might be a nice idea for everyone to bring their brooms. You can't play a full game of Quidditch, obviously, but the backyard is big enough that you can fly a little.”
“I'd like that,” Harry told her honestly. He adored his friends and wanted to spend time with them, especially knowing what was coming. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to have contact with them after they vanished, so he wanted plenty before then if he could get it. Thinking over the bit with his presents, he shrugged, “I don't know, really. Just some cookies or your fudge is good with me. Those are something I really like.”
Smiling at that, Molly told him, “I think that's easy enough. We'll find you something.” Glancing at the cat that was looking at her, she said, “Sirius spoils you enough that you probably don't need much. Which is good, too.”
“Maybe a book on some of the charms like I'm trying to teach him would be nice,” Remus suggested. “I'm sure you know more of what's required in so many areas than I do. That could help.”
“That's something I would like,” Harry admitted with a nod.
“Something we can easily manage,” Molly told them, happy to have some idea of where to look for something for Harry. “We'll get you something good.” Changing topics, she said, “We were thinking about bringing Ron and Hermione over a few times so the three of you can spend time together before they go back to school. They would like it, obviously, and I'm sure you would as well.”
“I would like that,” Harry told her, smiling again. “Just get with Sirius on it as he has bits he has to take care of.”
“We'll set up something with him.” She assured Harry. Reaching over to pat his hand, she then stood. “I better get home before the kids tear the house apart or lock Fleur in a room somewhere for annoying them.”
Chuckling at that, knowing how Ron and Ginny felt about her, Harry shook his head, sure they wouldn't be above something like that if she got on their nerves more than normal. “Tell them I said hi.”
“I will,” she smiled then nodded to Remus before leaving.
Pushing the books aside, waiting for the front door to shut, Remus then told him, “Let's see what other books we get before the start of term. That way Sirius can judge what you need in them. I'm sure that there are parts you don't.”
Glancing at the stack of them there, Harry said, “Yeah, 'cause that's a lot of books to get through.”
“I'm sure that plenty of the information is repeated between them. Nothing to worry about.” Changing topics, he said, “Now, let's get back to this charm to see what we can manage. Then we can press on.”
Shifting around and giving the purring Hobbes a pet, Harry readied his wand, planning to get this down before Sirius returned so they could get into other areas.

Laughing as all the shoes in their room marched towards various closets after tying their laces together, with enough of them left so they could 'march', Harry shook his head. This was fun, though! Sirius was back, but with Remus, tending to some other bits that came from Dumbledore. It was Order business, so he was up here with Lucius. Rather than just find something to do, Lucius had taken over where Remus had left off with some of the charms then pressed on. This one was for shoes. Not only did it pair them up and tie them together, but sorted them so they went into the right closets. Before this was one for socks that even found the mate to the odd ones.
Watching the last pair run to catch up with the others before throwing themselves in his closet, Harry snickered and leaned back against Lucius. Both of them were seated on the bed so they had plenty of room to work and didn't get in the way of whatever. “This is good!” He grinned. “These are actually easy to remember as well.”
Giving Harry a pat on the thigh, Lucius told him, “They are and you're doing quite well picking up on them, too. I know several others I'll teach you that you shouldn't have a problem with either, such as sorting laundry. While we do that, I think we should take the first steps for working with non-verbal spells. These types are far easier to pick up on than the normal way they teach; for defense. Once you get these down, most other areas should be easy.”
“That I'd like, too,” Harry admitted. “You're a very good teacher.” As surprising as that would be to many, Lucius was. Not only was he patient, he explained things in a way that was very easy to understand with detailed instructions on how to do what. He even made sure that he walked him through the wand movement with his hand over his own so he got it right. Any mistakes that were made, Lucius explained why they came about so he understood what he did wrong. That was great as far as he was concerned.
Smirking at the compliment, Lucius said, “Thank you. I've worked with Draco for years on various areas, so I think I have a good understanding of what works and what doesn't from him. That's proving true with you. I'll admit that this also gives me the first feelers of what we need when it comes to taking on your studies. I had feared I may have to change up what I do to get it across to you differently. Thankfully, that's not the case and I can press on how I normally do.” Picking up his drink off the bedside table, he took a sip then said, “Right—let's carry on, shall we? Let's start on the laundry.” Pointing his wand at the hamper, the laundry seemed to explode and shoot all over the room. Smirking as Harry chuckled, saying that looked about normal for his room anyway, Lucius walked him through the first steps of what to do, pleased that Harry was not only paying attention, but seemed to pick up on the basics quickly so they could continue on.

Standing in the doorway, leaning on the jamb, arms folded over his chest, Sirius grinned at what he was seeing from Harry and Lucius. This was good! There was still some getting used to each other, from all their ends, but it was definitely getting easier with each passing day. The bond did help, that's for damned sure, and probably factored into how smoothly this was going, but so did plenty of other areas.
All of them were making a conscious choice to work on this and get it moving the best they could as they understood that there was no going back. It wasn't easy in places, but it was there. Harry, from what he saw, was having an easier time of this than he and Lucius were. That was probably due to his age. After all, it was well known that the younger ones were more adaptable and less set in their ways than those who were older. It was holding true with Harry. Though the relationship and history with Lucius, and Draco as well, wasn't the best, he was managing. Even he and Lucius were doing that. It was a tad harder, of course, as the history was far longer and not pleasant, but it was there. He figured that had to do with the fact that they were so focused on what had to come to get them the hell out of this ruddy nightmare that so much else was being shunted aside while they focused there. In doing that, they were able to adapt better and get this moving in the right direction. Good. That would only help, all of them.
Smiling as he watched Lucius hold Harry with one arm while his other hand was over Harry's as he walked him through the wand movement of the spell, Sirius leaned his head against the jamb. Honestly? He liked this. It made him feel good in plenty of ways. No, none of them expected Lucius, or anyone else, to factor into the bond, but it was there and seemed to round them out quite nicely. Lucius wasn't like him or Harry in that he wasn't impulsive or hot headed like the two of them could be. Down the line, that was likely to help plenty and keep them on a leash of sorts. At the very least, it may keep them from going off half-cocked and doing something that would endanger all of them. Lucius also had a son the same age as Harry, thus would be able to deal with certain situations better than he could as he had experience. Perfect. It could only aid in what they were going to dealing with.
Watching the clothes start to fly around, though only a few of them made it into the proper places, he chuckled. “That's a damned good start, Harry. Faster than I ever managed the first time I tried that spell. In fact, this is one I never did get down all the way.”
Glancing over at Sirius and grinning, Harry told him, “I'm doing pretty good with these. And they're fun. Far better than having to pick them up and do it that way. If I have to do that, chances are I'll just find it easier to leave them where they are and let the elves have at it.”
“An impulse I complete understand and agree with,” Sirius laughed, coming over to flop down on the bed by the two. “That tends to be my thought process on the matter as well. After all, it's their jobs. No sense in upsetting them by picking up after yourself.”
Giving an amused snort at that, Lucius admitted, “I tend to do the same, actually, though I do make sure they are off the floor. What's the sense of having elves if you pick up after yourself? However, it's always best to make sure you know the spells, if for no other reason than finding missing articles.”
“Yeah, true!” Sirius grinned, sitting up by Lucius. “We should teach you some of those spells as well. These work fine for finding whatever and matching them up, but there are some great simple charms for finding whatever is missing. Accio you know, and that'll do the job, but these are geared for something missing. Those are almost a requirement unless you want to make yourself mental hunting for something.”
“Yeah, those I need,” Harry admitted, giving the spell another shot, happy that it worked better this time.
“I say we make a list of the standard charms for household tasks and run through those before school starts. It'll give us plenty to do while we sort through the defense books and tailor what we need from them. Plus, Harry can get some extra practice in before the 'official' start of term and get his magic up to shape after a few months off.” Almost as an afterthought, Lucius added, “And it gives all of us a chance to figure out what works best with teaching.”
“We can do that,” Sirius agreed with a nod. “I'll get with Remus and have him help. He's good with these kinds of charms, far better than I am. My bet is he would love helping as it gives him something constructive to do.”
“That we'll plan on as well,” Lucius nodded. Sending the laundry flying again, making sure it was plenty scattered, he walked Harry through what he thought he had done wrong then set him to trying again, happy when it worked this time. Good!
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Well, Ain't That Strange?