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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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Chapter 23

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. You're the best, woman, and thank you!

Letting himself into Grimmauld Place, Severus was apprehensive. Black and Lupin had sent a message that they needed to talk to him, that it was important. That had him on edge slightly as he didn't know why they would need him to show up. He had, of course, planned to come this week so they could start with their plan of running all three sides of this conflict in circles, but hadn't anticipated them needing him.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw the two of them seated there by themselves, going through some books. Nodding to them when they looked up, he took a seat then the offered cup of tea before settling in. “You said there was something important?”

“There is,” Remus nodded, starting to fumble around for some books and papers, brow furrowed as he did. “Albus is growing more panicked with each passing day. He has us looking up some really complicated tracking spells in these books.” Shoving a stack of very old books forward, he then grabbed the sheaf of parchments that had been with them. Sighing, he shook his head then tapped a smooth glass paperweight that was on the table. Seeing Severus' brow go up at that action, the werewolf smiled then explained, “Sirius found it while we were digging into a couple places for books. It's a stone that will put up a ward and let us know if someone is coming in as well as who they are. It'll protect us from being overheard.”

Having heard of such a thing before, though never seen it, Severus nodded. “These spells—the wards should negate them, I would think anyway. It's probably nothing to worry about.”

“That's what we thought, too. At least until we started reading them,” Sirius told him, taking a sip of his beer.

Not liking the sound of that, Severus looked at the two then asked, “How are they different?”

“They are runic and have to do with Arithmetic predictions. They are very complicated, Severus, well beyond what Sirius and I know. That's why we wanted you to take a look at them.” Passing the man the first of the books, he explained, “These are centuries old and we aren't sure where Albus even got his hands on them.” As Severus was looking through the spell, brow furrowed, Remus explained, “We didn't try to duplicate the books even though they are long out of copyright, because there is a spell on them of some kind that we don't know. So, what we did was go in and hand copy all the tracking spells.”

“Yeah, both of you better appreciate that! It took us days to get them all down,” Sirius snorted, shaking his head. “I don't know a lot of what they are talking about in those, let alone how to even go about performing the spells, but they look like something that could work. So, we thought it best to pass them in your direction to see what the two of you can figure out when it comes to them.”

Nodding slowly as he read the spell that was well beyond what even he could figure out, Severus shut the book with sigh. “You have them all copied?”

“All of them,” Remus told him with a firm nod. “We went through everything he gave us and copied down anything that looked like it might remotely be useful. We also made a master list of the books so that you can try to get your hands on them.”

Clasping his hands and resting his elbows on the table, Severus nodded, “I'll take them to the other party I'm working with and have him take a look. These are beyond me as well. Runes and Arithmancy were something I didn't take beyond what I had to for potions. He was the expert at such subjects.”

“He's starting to pull out some big guns, Severus,” Remus told him quietly. “And is concerned. Something else has come up as well that is pushing that.”

Not liking what that might be, Severus looked between the two, waiting to see what they had to say.

Grabbing a copy of the paper called The Political Scryer, a weekly rag devoted to politics rather than daily news, Sirius pushed it towards Snape. “That's an advanced copy that Albus was sent. In a couple days they're going to start running an article about Harry's disappearance. The focus of the article seems to be how the Ministry is failing to look for a fourteen year old boy that has gone missing. Rather than doing what they would for any other young man that age that went missing in odd circumstances, they are using him as a political tool to further Fudge's agenda. Albus is worried about what could come of it, of course, but he also hopes that it can help find Harry by jogging some information loose, somewhere.”

Taking the paper and reading it quickly, brow drawn down, Severus wasn't sure what to think of it. Though he liked the fact that it would go after the Ministry, he didn't like how it might draw attention they didn't need. Not to mention it was apt to send the Dark Lord off the deep end.

“We were thinking if we're going to start tossing clues out there, we should do so before this hits,” Remus told him softly.

Looking up, Severus gave a firm nod to that. “Yes, good plan! That way it'll be taken seriously rather than allowing them to brush it off as someone trying to push them to help find Harry by false clues.” Pulling a small package out of his pocket, Severus unshrank it then pushed it over to them. “In that are the hairs we discussed and some of the blood from the rat. I was able to get my hands on the sheet with no one the wiser. I would suggest that you do something tomorrow, something big, so that it's found before the paper hits.”

Nodding firmly, Sirius said, “We're going to use the trunk. It has Harry's name on it, so there is no doubt it's his. We've got a set of clothes all decorated with blood and made it look bad. We were thinking taking it to Scotland, near Hogsmeade, and planting it where we know it'll be found.”

“Perfect,” Severus agreed, looking between the two. “I would suggest that you put the pressure on and make some objects turn up every couple of days for about a month. That will be enough to send everyone scrambling and keep them from looking too closely.”

“We've got spells on a bunch of items to time them to go off at various stages. We're going to use that and plant several tomorrow. That way it won't look odd if we are vanishing close to the time that things are found,” Remus said, nodding.

“Good plan and very wise,” Severus agreed, tossing the paper back on the table after making a copy then tucking it in his pocket to take to Lucius. Leaning his forearms on the table, hands clasped, he said, “We'll go over these spells and see what we can find to negate them. I'll also see if we can't get our hands on the books as well. There might be something in them that is useful.” Rubbing his eyes, he said, “The only thing I'm worried about is that you're not the only ones he's having help with things like this. If he's got you perusing it, he might have others as well. That's what has me concerned. And we have no way of seeing what he's delegating to others.”

Glancing at Sirius, who had a concerned look on his face as well, Remus then focused back on Severus before saying, softly, “That's what we were worried about as well. Talking it over, we thought, maybe, there might be a way to get him to focus on this another way. It's something you would have to do though as you're the only one that he's told about the horcrux.”

“What did you have in mind?” Severus asked, looking between the two. So far they weren't coming up with anything farfetched, in fact it was logical and could work, so he was more than willing to listen to any suggestions.

“Suggest that you see if there isn't a way to track Harry through that piece in his scar. He did mention You-Know-Who might be able to do it, or something like that. It would, if you can push him in that direction, sound like a more effective way to go about this whole operation than finding ancient tracking spells. It would also help us by seeing if you couldn't get him to have you start looking through some of what he has on that particular nastiness.” Remus explained.

Thinking that over, not seeing a downside to attempting it, Severus nodded, “Good plan and it's workable. I'll let him come to me. If Harry's stuff turns up, he's going to panic if he can find nothing. Especially if a known Death Eater is involved. He thinks he knows everything, but he's going to need help, that's for sure. I might be able to see what I can do to push him in that direction. I'll try anyway. It can't hurt to attempt it.”

“It's better than what we're coming up with from looking,” Sirius admitted with a shake of his head. “Because we're not finding anything on how to remove it. Hell, we're not finding much of anything on the topic at all,” Sirius admitted. “What topics did you to search for? That might give us an idea of where not to look and see if we can't go about it another way.”

“The Dark Arts and Necromancy,” Severus told him. Stopping, he thought it over then said, shaking his head, “I don't know what else to look for as a topic that might be relative. The only thing we can relate is a surgical procedure of some kind to take it out and transplant it into something else. I'm not all that sure that would help at all in any way.”

Sighing and shaking his head, Sirius said, “You've been hunting for a while so we'll see what we can turn up elsewhere on other topics, though I don't know what. There are a couple other places in this house that I'll start trying to find where some books were hidden aside from the library. They were more family related and dealt with some of what the Black's have done over the centuries. I'll see if I can't find those then do some digging around. I'm not hopeful here, though.”

“Do what you can. We'll keep searching on our end to see what we can find,” Severus told both of them, looking between the two.

“I think whatever Albus might have will be the key here,” Remus said softly with a shake of his head. “Even if we get a lead on a book that might help, there isn't much of a chance we'll be able to get our hands on them. We can't just go to a bookstore and ask for some of these disgusting tomes.”

“I know,” Severus sighed with a nod.

Shaking his head, Sirius sighed, “This is something we aren't going to be much help with, I'm going to admit that. If it's not in this house, we're not going to have much of a chance of finding it. We can't go asking either.”

“Understood,” Severus said, rubbing his eyes in a tired way. “For now, keep looking. We'll do the same on our end then I'll see what I can wiggle with when it comes to Albus.”

“We did have one thought, though it's distasteful and we're not even sure it can work,” Remus said, clasping his hands, looking over at Severus.

Motioning for him to continue, Severus waited. Right now, they were willing to listen and consider about anything as long as it didn't involve Harry's death.

“We were reading a little on some books we found in the library on temple protection cobras. There isn't much, obviously, but there was some. It was something that was said about the second set of fangs and using them to heal. From what it said, the venom from the second set can heal and acts as a purifying agent. We were wondering, maybe, if you couldn't inject the venom into the scar, thus purifying the horcrux slightly or driving it out. Maybe Kaliya might know something about that? I don't think the venom could destroy it, obviously, but maybe it can be used to get it out?” Remus explained, looking at the man.

Rubbing a hand over his mouth, looking down at the table, Severus thought it over then said, “I don't know. I really don't. Let me go through some of the books we picked up about the bond itself. There is plenty in there about other abilities the snakes have. Then I'll see what Kaliya has to say on the topic. If it's even the slightest bit risky, he's not going to try it. Not with how he's attached to Harry. I'll let you know what I find out on the topic. However, it's a place to look since we are coming up with nothing when it relates to removing the problem.”

“We aren't either,” Sirius told him, shaking his head. Leaning back, sipping his beer, he asked, “Are you doing any better with the bond?”

“Actually, yes,” Severus told him, nodding. “We're coming up with the information we need and it is something that looks promising. We're still looking into it, of course, and weeding through what we have, but it's about the most workable of thing on this mess we've been able to find.”

“Good! At least something is going in the right direction,” Remus told him with a pleased look on his face. Stopping, he looked down at the table then glanced at Sirius before looking back at Severus and asked, tone gentle and quiet, “We were wondering how bad this might end up for you, Severus. We know what kind of risk this is and how bad it has to be to go face that madman, knowing what he's trying to find out.”

Startled, Severus looked up, glancing between the two. However, there was no smirking or signs that this was a joke. The two were serious about it. They were also the first people to really ask such a question of him. Albus, though he professed concern, was someone that had a plan he wanted followed. If it put him at risk, the old man didn't care. These two seemed genuinely concerned. After a couple moments, he said, “It's nothing to concern yourselves with. I know how to protect myself in this situation. I also am well aware of what I'm dealing with.”

“We were talking about it and thought, maybe, it might be a good idea for you to not go back to school this fall and just vanish. I know it would leave all of us at a distinct disadvantage for getting information about You-Know-Who, but it'd be safer for you, and everyone else,” Remus told him gently.

“We've even, somewhat, worked out a plan to get you out. We'd need your help, of course, and you won't like it, but we can do it if it comes down to it.” Sirius told him sincerely, looking at his old nemesis.

Stunned by that, looking between the two, Severus wasn't sure what to say, honestly. They were being serious and meant every word. Quietly, he asked, “What did you have in mind?”

“We burn Spinners End to the ground and have the Dark Mark hanging over it. The other side won't buy it, of course, unless he thinks it's a rogue attack on you. Albus would,” Sirius told him. “We would get the robes from you and Lucius then create our own masks. One of you would have to teach us how to cast the Dark Mark, but we could manage. That way you would be out. With all that is going on, going back to that school might be a bad idea, Severus. Albus—he's going to be backed into a tight corner by the time this summer ends, one he's already having problems maneuvering in. If it grows worse, we're not sure what he will do. If he has no problem making plans to sacrifice Harry, he's not going to think twice about doing it to you too.”

Taking that in, Severus began to nod. They were right, of course. All of them were mere pawns on a chessboard to Albus, nothing more. If one needed to be sacrificed, he would do it. As he already had a huge target on his back, the old man wouldn't have a problem letting him die for the cause. And, honestly? He had no attachment to his home. If it came down to it, he would get everything out he did want, and let them have at it. Clearing his throat, he said, “It's something to consider, that's for certain. And I will do so, seriously. I'll also talk it over with the other parties in this mess to see what they have to say on the matter.”

“I think it's a good idea, Severus,” Remus told him softly. “Get out while you can. Harry is going to need both of you to protect him. We can do without the information from You-Know-Who. Sirius and I will feed you everything we can get from this end to help. You've done enough. It's time to stop putting yourself at risk and just stay where you can do the most good.”

“I'll ponder it seriously over the next few weeks. However, before we even think about taking that step, we need to work on the issues we have to see what we can resolve. If we can't get it done by the end of summer, I need to go back,” Severus told them quietly, looking between the two.

“We understand,” Sirius nodded, sipping his beer. “Just—we thought it might be better if you were out. Not only will Harry be better protected, we might be able to jar some things loose from the old goat to where we have a shot at working with what we have. I don't know. He's going to fumble big as shite if he loses you. That can only help the rest of us.”

“There is that, yes,” Severus conceded with a nod. Rubbing his eyes, he said, “Let me talk it over with the other party and see what he says. I do like the idea, but there has to be at least a way to start resolving some of the other issues we have here before I even consider that step.”

“We're willing to help all we can, keep that in mind,” Remus told him softly. “You've done enough and put yourself in danger for a long time. Whatever you feel you need to make up for, you've accomplished it, with plenty to spare. If you feel you haven't, you're still doing so anyway by protecting Harry. Remember that.”

Looking at the werewolf, Severus nodded slowly. A lot of what he was doing was to make up for the mistake he made so long ago, one that cost Lily her life. He could still do that if he were out. It would just be in another way was all.

Shaking his head, not wanting to go down that road, Severus asked, “Is there anything else I need to know about?”

“We don't think so,” Sirius said, looking at Remus who was shaking his head. “We just wanted you up to speed with what we've found. That way you don't get blindsided and knew what we were doing. Plus, we thought getting that paper to the lunatic could only help you.”

“It will,” Severus told him firmly, already making plans to get a copy to the Dark Lord the following day.

“Is there anything from your end we need to get caught up on or are you still just working with what we discussed when we were there?” Sirius asked.

“We're at about the same place as we were,” Severus told them. “Right now, the focus is on the bond and seeing what we can find there. So far, as I said earlier, that is looking promising. That's where we plan to keep looking for now. It can help immeasurably. However, there is something we do want your assistance with, though it's not pressing and unrelated to this part.”

“What's that?” Remus asked, curious, then took a sip of his tea.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the stuffed duck Harry had been working on. Sitting it on the table, he tapped it with his wand to activate it. Immediately, it began to walk around, talking to itself in a comically neurotic, slightly paranoid way. Shooting a mild stinging hex at its rear end, he smirked as it panicked, running around in a circle with its wings flapping, exclaiming it was under attack. Looking up, seeing the two grinning at the stuffed animal, he explained, “This is actually one of Harry's charms assignments we've devised. He's learning to use certain charms, tailor them in the way he needs them to work for what he wants to do and layering them to get the right effects.” Pulling out the list of what Harry had already used and what he still needed to do, he copied it and passed it to the two. Leaning forward, poking the duck, then smirking when it screamed about being assaulted and wanting a lawyer, he said, “It's not done yet, he's still working on it. What we were hoping was that you two could come up with some similar projects for him to work on that would help advance him in what he will need for his OWLS and NEWTS. You see what we have there and know the basic curriculum that Charms goes by at Hogwarts so you know what is coming. We are finding this works better with Harry rather than dull, dry lessons.”

Grinning at the duck, shaking his head, Remus chuckled then asked, “How is he doing with his studies? Obviously it's not bad if he's able to pull something like this off!”

“Quite well, actually,” Severus told him, looking between the two. “With his magic unbound, though he is still having issues working with the power level he's now at and the new wand, not to mention making it channel correctly, he's doing far better than he was in school. I'm certain that most of it has to do with his magic being unbound and working correctly. There is also the fact that he's not being pulled in so many directions by so many and being led around by Dumbledore. He is not Granger in that he catches on immediately, but he's quite good, far better than his grades and performance in class ever showed.”

Smirking, then poking at the duck a few times to hear it panic, Sirius shook his head, “Give us some time and we'll see what we can come up with. I'm sure we can find something that will work. Have you devised anything else that you plan on or no?”

“Not really,” Severus shook his head. “We thought about seeing if he couldn't recreate the map and add some items to it or work on a book of some kind we can pass messages along with, but those aren't beyond the stage of us thinking about them as we would have to know what charms to even apply to make them work. We thought, maybe, the two of you could come up with something fun like the duck that he would like doing, but would also help him learn what he needs to.”

“We'll find something,” Remus told him with a nod, watching the duck scamper around muttering things like 'oh worry', 'distressing' and other similar phrases. “Do they have to be useful, or something just for fun?”

“We would prefer useful, at least in some way. We're going to give this duck to Kaliya when he's done with it to replace the other one. It'll act more realistically, thus give him better exercise. However, whatever you can come up with will be most helpful. It'll give him the chance to work on something fun, but that will have a real use for later on.” Severus explained.

Grinning, shaking his head, Sirius said, “Give us some time and we'll come up with something. I'm not sure what yet, but it'll be good. It's going to hard to top this duck, though!”

Smirking, Severus nodded then admitted, “The duck was Lucius' idea. He finds Kaliya chasing the other one highly amusing, so he thought a more realistic version would be even more so.”

“It is!” Sirius laughed after he pushed the duck over and its little feet peddled in the air as it insisted it was being tortured.

Casting a finite on the duck, thus ending its movement, Severus pocketed it then said, “I better get back in case Albus decides to come over. Send a message tomorrow when you have everything done so we know to prepare.” Seeing the two nod, he finished his then stood and swept out to head for the manor, actually feeling pretty good about what was going on for once.

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Shades of Grey