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Lucky Strike	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Sirius Views: 76061 -:- 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
- 26
- 27
- 28
Beta'd by the most amazing Tenchi, who I can't thank enough for all the hard work she does for me!

With help from Lynn who works with me when it comes to flow, continuity and other issues.

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 26

After sliding on the bed by Harry with a soft groan, Sirius asked, slipping his arm around his shoulders, “Feeling any better?” He assumed, as Harry had a bit more color to him and had cut back on the pain draughts some the day before, but wanted it out there to make sure.
With a sigh, Harry made the wishy-washy signal with his hand then told him, softly, “Some. Physically, anyway.”
Just hearing Harry's voice made Sirius want to grin, though he didn't. He was coming around far faster than he had the last time this happened, a great sign if there ever was one. “It takes time, you know that,” he soothed, giving him a squeeze. “At least you're starting to feel better, even a little.”
Though Harry nodded, he didn't say anymore. As he held Bugs close, he sighed softly, leaning against Sirius.
“Let's go down and get brekky,” Sirius told him, reaching out to stroke the rabbit's head. “I should warn you, though, that Remus isn’t here this morning.”
“Where's he at?” Harry asked, curious. They always tended to have meals together unless it was something unavoidable. As far as he knew, nothing like in the past had happened.
“He's gone to talk to Alastor for us. Remember us talking about him last night? The retired Auror?” When Harry seemed to think it over then nodded, he explained, “We thought it best that he talk to him. While I worked with him a bit, Remus is calmer. Snape—because of the last war, it's best that Remus do it alone. He can get more across without the history Snape and I would bring to the table.”
After thinking over what he was told, Harry understood then nodded. “How long will he be gone?” He asked. Not that he minded his dad going out, of course, he was just curious. Besides, he felt better when all three of them were around with all the shit he was dealing with.
“We aren't sure,” Sirius admitted with a sigh. “Alastor is more than a little paranoid, so Remus will have to assure him it's nothing wonky to start with, something that will take plenty of time on its own. Then there is a lot to walk him through when it comes to this mess. So, we're counting on him being gone 'til close to noon. We'll see. It's nothing to worry about as we all know him from the last war. On the upside, Snape is taking care of breakfast. You know how good of a cook he is. And he's more of a gourmet than Remus and I are, so we're in for a damned good brekky. And we need you there to moderate between me and him so we don't end up at each other's throats.” The last bit was delivered with a grin and bit of a nudge.
Oh, Harry knew the last two were true, especially the bit about Sirius and his dad, so he couldn't help but grin just a tad over it. “Let me get a shower then we can go downstairs.”
“I'll join you,” Sirius told him, trying not to grin again. He and Snape had worked this out, hoping to coax Harry out of the room and get him downstairs for a meal, but weren't sure it would work. He was pleased it did and Snape would be as well. “Let's summon one of the elves and let him know what's up. Then we'll hop in the shower with Bugs. I think we should see how fast we can get this done as I'm not exactly sure what Snape is making, but it smells damned good! So, I want to get down there fast, Harry!” While what he said was true, it was also his way of telling Harry the shower wouldn't turn into anything sexual like it had plenty of times in the past. He was sure Harry figured that, what with how he felt, but he wanted it out there to put him at ease.
With a nod, Harry eased himself out of bed, thankful that his arse wasn't hurting like it had been, then made his way towards the loo, summoning the clothes he wanted as he went.
As he watched Harry go, Sirius grinned bigger. Oh, this was good. When the summoned elf popped in, he gave a fairly detailed message to the creature to take to Snape. Once the elf popped out, he heard the shower start. Good. Stripping out of his clothes, he dropped them on the floor then headed that way. It was his hope a bit of mucking about would push Harry back a bit further to where he had been. Even if it didn't, some fun would help with all Harry was dealing with.

“You know, Snape, we need you to do the cooking more often,” Sirius told the man as he took a seat after conjuring a pillow for Harry to sit on. “Because this looks delicious.” And it did. Snape had gone all out with all kinds of nobby food they generally didn't bother with. He supposed it was the man's way of getting Harry to eat a bit more than he had been, but it worked for him as well since he loved the stuff.
Once he sent the last of the food to the table, Severus snorted and took a seat. “I'm generally too busy to tend to cooking, Black.” Of course, that was the truth, but it was also partially that Remus loved to cook and it made him feel useful since he didn't work or have the money Sirius did. With what Severus knew of his husband, it was his way of making sure he pulled his weight around the house.
“Yeah, I suppose that's true,” Sirius conceded, piling food on Harry's plate. As he did, he explained to Harry what some of the foods were since he was sure he either didn't remember as they had them so rarely or hadn't encountered them before. “Either way, Harry and I are going to enjoy the hell out of this! Aren't we, Harry?” He asked, giving Harry a nudge.
“We will,” Harry said softly, poking at his food, not sure what to make of some of it as he had no clue what it was. He would try it since his dad made it. Though he would reserve judgment on how good it was until afterwards.
Eyes lifting to Black's, Severus gave a smirk over the fact that Harry had spoken. It wasn't much, but he had. It was a damned good sign that showed progress, just what they needed. After clearing his throat, planning to tell Remus the second he arrived home, he explained to Harry, “Though what is here is rather posh, I made certain not to include anything I know you don't like. While the dishes are put together in ways you're not used to, there is nothing in there I know you find distasteful. Ask myself or Black and we'll explain to you what the food consists of.”
While poking at the eggs Benedict, not sure what to make of it, Harry's brow furrowed. “And what is this? I'm—no clue here and I won't describe what I think the goop on the top looks like.”
Unable to help himself, Sirius chuckled and shook his head. “I'll let Snape explain it to you. It's really good, I promise.”
“I'm not sure here, Severus,” Harry shook his head, still poking at it, trying to determine what was in the—whatever.
Amused himself over the normal Harry-speak, Severus began explaining what the ingredients were and how it was prepared while Black tried coaxing him into trying it. They liked getting Harry to try more than his normal foodstuffs as the young wizard tended to stick only with what he knew. It was their thought that the more they introduced him to, the more adventurous he would become in other areas as well. Such matters could only help in other ways, too.
After watching Harry try what was there, Severus gave a pleased nod. At least he was attempting it. That's all he asked. Taking a few more bites of his own meal, he told his son, “Draco sent another letter.” Then he pushed it over.
Though Harry eyed the letter, he pushed it aside, not sure if he wanted to read it or not yet. He'd decide later, though he nodded to let his dad know he heard. Once he took a few more bites of his food, he asked, “What's coming today? Does anyone know?” The answer was more so he could prepare for whatever it was than anything else. He didn't think he had a Mind Healer's appointment, but couldn't be sure, so he wanted to check.
“Most of it's going to depend on what Remus manages,” Severus explained. “We don't have anything planned and no appointments, but there may end up some items we have to take care of.”
Harry nodded to that, but didn't answer. At least it wasn't more appointments he didn't want to deal with, a plus.
“Once Remus is back and we know what he found out, we'll go from there. Nothing to worry about. If there isn't anything for us to handle, we'll find something to do,” Severus told him with a small smile. He and Black had already talked that over and thought it for the best. Anything to get Harry's mind off what he was dealing with, even just a little. If he was making this kind of progress, when him talking, since the last occurrence took at least two weeks before he would, they would do what they could to help it along.
“We'll find something, not to worry.” Sirius assured him. “Maybe you and me ganging up on the two at poker. That's always good for some laughs. What do you think?” Poker was something that Harry was very good at, better than any of them. If you had Harry as your partner, you were assured of winning almost every time. In fact, the other two would get a sound trouncing.
“We could,” Harry agreed with a nod, smiling just a tad as he ate some more.
While Severus snorted at the assessment, he was pleased. Despite whatever Remus brought back that they had to take care of, they would set aside some time to play. It would probably give Harry some chuckles, even if he didn't do it aloud.
“They're in for another sound trouncing,” Sirius told him with a grin, nudging him. Good. They had something Harry agreed to. As Remus would as well since Harry did, they had a way to work on what Harry was dealing with and draw him out more. And it was something he would probably look forward to as he enjoyed the games.
“What is this Alastor like?” Harry asked, curious, as he ate some more. He'd heard what was said about him, of course, and he thought he had been mentioned at some point by the others, but wasn't sure.
“One word; paranoid,” Sirius chuckled. “It's more than that, though, and he has good reasons to feel that way, honestly.” Then he began talking about what he knew of Alastor to explain him to Harry. If Alastor did decide to help, he would be around and Harry would need to get used to him. So, preparation was for the best, despite the fact that it wasn't a given yet.

When Remus stopped talking and he had no more questions, Alastor leaned back in his chair with a grunt then took a sip from his flask. “Sounds like a right nightmare if you ask me. I do have to say that when I heard about the breakout, my first thought was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named myself. It's good to know I'm not the only one and that it's not just adding more to the reputation about my mental state,” he told Remus, eying him closely.
“You're not alone. I think, for plenty of us, that was our first thought, Alastor,” Remus told him softly. “Albus, James and Lily returning, with some of what's come out there, has plenty leaning in that direction. Some of us—well, we knew he wasn't gone. The bit with the Horcruxes told us that.”
“Understandably,” Alastor nodded, still eying him cautiously. Remus was one he didn't worry much about, despite who his husband was. It was an old habit, one that still served him well as he could pick up plenty from facial expressions and body language. “Right,” he started, shifting slightly, “what exactly is it you want from me? Aside from parts mentioned. I'm assuming there is more.”
“Several things, Alastor,” Remus told him, pleased that the man got down to the nub of the matter. “We need your help, in more than one area. First, for you to join us when it comes to what is a new version of the Order. You know plenty that went on last time around, more than most of us did. Your experience is something we're desperate for. Most this time don't have the track record back to the last one, so we're starting fresh. While we have Severus and Lucius, something that can help, the more we have that remember what we did last time, the better we're going to end up. You were also close with Albus. We need that as well. As it is, we have no way of getting out of him what he knows. With how you two were, we think you're the best one when it comes to making educated guesses as to what he might be up to. We can try, but it's—well, we'd rather have your help, for obvious reasons.”
“Good, sound reasons,” Alastor told him with a nod. “Something I would expect from you. And ones I understand. Anything else?” He wasn't sure if there was, but he wanted it all out there before he agreed to anything or thought it over.
“One, but it's personal,” Remus admitted, looking at him.
“Oh?” Alastor asked, intrigued. Because of who his husband was, he didn't expect Remus to ask anything personal of him. “What might that be?”
“It has to do with Harry,” Remus admitted. “We're all very good when it comes to Harry's protection, but we're going to need help. The three of us talked it over and we can't think of anyone better to give us a hand. Harry—we all know the danger he's in, Alastor. I'm sure Harry doesn't appreciate or even understand how much peril he's in, but we do. And we know we need help in protecting him.”
“Understood, lad,” the retired Auror told him with a nod. He was pleased that Remus was up front about the added part and the why behind it. What was asked was also something he understood the reason behind. In addition to all the above, he realized it must have taken a lot for the three in that house to ask for that sort of help, especially as good as they were at protection.
“Severus—we have plenty to worry about when it comes to him. I'm sure that the other side already realizes he was a spy, the same as Lucius, which puts him in plenty of danger right off the top. Add in Harry and this won't be easy. Harry—I don't know what you've heard about him, but he's very capable of defending himself. In this case, however, we need help. He'll be such a target and can end up set off if he feels like he's defending any of us that are in danger, that it may end up worse. And you—we can trust you, Alastor.”
“Indeed you can, Remus,” Alastor nodded, a smile turning up the corner of one side of his mouth. “I'll say, without having to think about it, I'm more than willing to join this group. It can assist all of us. If my experience can help, I'm happy to give it.”
“We'll be quite happy to have you, Alastor,” Remus told him honestly, thankful it didn't take too much talking to get him to agree. While he'd been prepared for every argument out there, it felt good that they weren't needed. Of all of them, Alastor had to know what they were facing once more.
“There might be something else I can do to help,” Alastor told him after pondering it for a couple moments.
“What's that? Anything you bring to the table will be most helpful, Alastor.” Remus told him, though he was curious. There wasn't anything else he could think of that could help.
“Let me talk to Rufus first. For now, you have me for the Order. There might be something else. If Rufus thinks it's a good idea, I'll let him lay it out for all of you. Well, those he thinks can keep it to themselves anyway. I'll go see him this afternoon and hash it out. Work for you, lad?” He asked, though he assumed it wouldn't be a problem.
“Something I can accept,” Remus told him with a smile. Sticking out his hand, he said, “Welcome aboard, Alastor. We're quite pleased to have you help us.”
“Pleased to be able to be of assistance once more,” Alastor admitted, taking the hand offered and giving it a firm shake. “Once the dust settles a bit, we'll sit down and work out something to keep your boy safe and I'll do all I can to help you. You have my word.”
“And that is more appreciated than you will ever know,” Remus told him honestly, relieved.

Rufus had listened to what Alastor had to say carefully, asking plenty of questions about the scheme then began thinking it over. While Alastor being aboard for this endeavor was more than enough for him, as he would help plenty for a multitude of reasons, what he just proposed would assist even more.
After a minute or so, he asked, lifting his eyes to his old Auror, “You sure about this, Alastor? While it won't put you in danger, it's not going to end up fun.”
“I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure, Rufus,” Alastor grunted, shifting in his seat. “I get you lot are going to do all you can to get the information you need, but it'll take time and you have no way of knowing if what you're getting is accurate or just embellished to make people look good. This can ensure it. We won't get the complete truth, but it's better than trying to fish and sort.”
“Not something I'll argue the accuracy of,” Rufus admitted. “It'll give us a big hand in a way nothing else we can manage will and we won't have to resort to something distasteful to handle.”
“You need to keep up with the other suggestions,” Alastor told him. “No sense in turning down a good line on information as I have no idea just what I might manage to get. We both know what that old goat is like. If the kid heard some of it over the years, it'll help all of you.”
“A point I won't argue,” Rufus sighed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “If you're willing, we'll have no issue with you spying on Albus. In fact, I can say for almost all that we would welcome and need what that old man knows.”
“I'll do it and have no issue doing so,” Alastor told him with a nod. “I'll get with everyone I can for information, especially those at Grimmauld Place, then put out the first feelers to Albus this week. Let me see what I can start. From what I've heard, he's got so little support and people willing to work with him, that my hope is he'll jump at me wanting to join up once more.”
“You have any idea what you can use to get in with him? From what I knew, you turned him down flat when he approached you,” Rufus inquired, curious.
“I do,” Alastor nodded. “Nothing farfetched, either. I'll just say the breakout made me realize that we need to do something. I'm also going to make it damned clear that I'm not at all happy with the stunt he pulled or what he's caused. From sources, I've heard almost all of those with him this time have done the same damned thing. It's just the cause, not him.”
“Sounds like it could work,” Rufus nodded after thinking it over. “It's my hope that he might talk to you more than anyone else. We know Minerva is helping, again. She's in the castle most of the year and can't just leave. The others—we've only heard about a few. Names we do need, but I doubt he has anyone involved that can bring what you can to the table.”
“My hope as well,” Alastor nodded. “Tell you what; get with the three in Grimmauld Place, and anyone else you can think of, and have them gather all they know so far. Then tell them I'll get in touch after a day or so of nosing around myself to come over and get myself up to speed. Once I'm sure I have all I need, I'll put out the first feelers to the old man. Then we'll go from there.”
“I'll do that,” Rufus told him, making a mental note to get in touch with Remus or Severus when they were done. “I'm also going to say, if you can manage, get in touch with Aberforth. He might not know what's going on now, but he has history that can help you when it comes just how to go about this.”
“That I'll do,” Alastor told him, planning on it. “I've talked with him a couple times since the mess started with them returning and he's just irate that his brother would pull this. He's saying the same I keep hearing from plenty of others; Albus is up to something and he doubts it's anything good. Let me see what I can manage when it comes to the two of us putting our heads together.”
“As long as he won't talk to his brother,” Rufus told him. “We don't want to tip our hand if we can get a damned good source of information.”
“He won't,” Alastor snorted, a grim smile showing. “Aberforth wants nothing to do with Albus and is madder than a wet hen over this stunt. That relationship was tenuous at best when it came to the last war. I doubt there is any repairing it now.” Then he added, “You might want to recruit him, Rufus. He's not going to talk and he can give you more information than on just Albus. He hears plenty behind that damned bar. I'm sure there are already quite a few flapping their gums over the breakout. Any bit of information can help you.”
“Something I'll look into as well,” Rufus assured him.
Since he figured that was enough of that line, Alastor asked, “What do you have going so far on this and who's helping? I might be able to give some suggestions on who you can try to recruit. Well, that and who to stay away from. Won't be much, but we can try.”
Hands clasped on his desk, Rufus began walking the man through the list so far. Once that was done, he talked about who he wanted involved. Then he listened to who Alastor thought should stay away and the reasons. While this was just a start, he thought it was a good one. He just hoped they had time before all hell broke loose. That's all they needed and they might have a damned good chance of heading the worst of the nightmare off before it happened.
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Lucky Strike