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Well, Ain't That Strange?	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 56074 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this story

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
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 32

Albus glared around the table at those who had caused the most problems, gaze flitting between Minerva and Severus more than the others. He had just finished a stern lecture, the likes of which he very rarely gave anyone, and wanted it quite clear to all and sundry he was very unhappy with what transpired.
Seeing plenty flinch and even Minerva look down at the table he said, tone firm, “There will be no more foolishness of this sort! None! What happened should never have taken place and has made what we need to tend to far harder than it had been. While Harry and Sirius are safe in Grimmauld Place, they will have to leave from time to time. It will take more than just Remus helping them. You are all adults. In being so, I expect you to act like you are and hold your tongues when it’s prudent, no matter how much you don’t like something you cannot change.” Then he glared around again and settled back in his chair with a groan.
They were using the room they employed for teacher’s meetings at Hogwarts since the term was looming close and he had plenty to tend to. Much had to end up in place for this to straighten itself out so they could press on.
Remus adored the look of guilt on Minerva’s face and how Severus wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, especially Albus’. Yes, this was good! However, he would make it worse and enjoy just a tiny sadistic thrill out of doing so. After all, the miscreants in the matter played right into the plot they hatched, so he felt no guilt doing so.
“There is even a bigger problem to deal with than Sirius needing help protecting Harry if they go out,” he started, already giving an internal chuckle at the hell he was going to unleash. Yes, this would end up most amusing and he would enjoy watching what it caused.
“What problem is there?” Albus asked, concerned, not sure what Remus meant.
“Sirius took Harry and left Grimmauld Place,” Remus told them simply, looking around. “They’re gone.”
“Merlin no,” Molly moaned, head going forward. “I was afraid of this.” She had expressed the concern that Sirius wouldn’t want to stay where everyone knew where he was, even if they couldn’t get into the house. It appeared her worst fear had come true.
“Could it just be him taking a slight—holiday or something similar as a way to cool off?” Albus asked, sitting up straight, frown on his face. With as irate as Sirius was over this and how his letters were returned unopened, he didn’t think so, but he could hope.
“No,” Remus told him with a shake of his head, trying to appear concerned. “They’re gone, Albus, along with all their personal items, clothes and everything else. I can get into the house, but he made it clear to me they’re gone for the duration of the war. He’s had enough, something else he made right clear in no uncertain terms.”
“I can’t say I blame them,” Arthur added, tone cold as he glared around. “He took more than I would have on the matter. Being called a child molester would have ended it for me.” He then leveled his gaze at Severus, who was slouched down in his chair, arms folded over his chest, looking down.
A trembling hand rubbing over his face, Albus shook his head, looking troubled. “Can you get in contact with him?” He asked Remus, hoping it was the case.
“We’ve exchanged messages,” Remus nodded, but went no further.
“Did he say where he was in them?” Albus asked, hoping against hope as he had no idea where Sirius would go. As far as he knew, Grimmauld Place was the only home he had.
“No, he didn’t,” Remus said, pleased he didn’t have to lie with the way Albus worded what he asked. “He’s gone and plans to stay that way. It’s something he made right clear. And, frankly, I don’t blame him.”
Head dropping completely forward, chin on his chest, Albus let out a deep sigh. This was the worst case scenario. Death Eaters and Tom were still showing up all over, which meant they were in danger if found. “What else do you know?” He asked, not lifting his chin.
“Just that he is as safe as he can manage. From what I’ve been told, he’s somewhere no one will think to look and plans to move somewhere better protected than Grimmauld Place.” Again, he didn’t have to lie, thankfully. Lies always tripped you up in the end.
“Bloody wonderful,” Kingsley snarled, throwing down the quill he had been using to doodle on a piece of parchment. “Just what we need,” he huffed, glaring at those who caused the problem in the first place. “You lot happy with yourselves? Not only did your inability to control yourselves cause a huge fight, but the one who needs our protection the most has left. Can’t blame Sirius there, honestly. He took more than enough.”
“I don’t think we need to go into this more,” Albus said, tone soothing as he didn’t want to kick up the fight once more.
“I think we do,” Tonks huffed, glaring around herself. “Several here need to take the bollocking they deserve over this. It went on too long and too far. This is the end result. All we’ve worked for is in the bin and we now need to scramble to fix it, if we can. That’ll be completely up to Sirius and if he’ll let us. If I were him, I wouldn’t.”
“Drop it,” Severus sneered, though he didn’t look up. “It’s over and done with. Now we press on the best we can.”
“It is not,” Tonks shot right back, glaring at the man then leveling one at Minerva, who had the good sense to look plenty chagrined and not lift her eyes. “Your inability to let the past go and not poke when you were bluntly told not to helped get us where we are.”
“She’s right,” Bill grumbled, glaring at Severus. “Couldn’t leave it alone, could you? Had to get the better of Sirius, even after all these years. Even Albus talking to you did no good. We’re not supposed to say a damned word to you about anything you’ve done in the past, but I guess it’s fine for you to take your great disdain out on the rest of us. News flash, Severus; what comes around, goes around. You give? You get to receive as well. Now you get to. Pleased with yourself and what you helped cause? Left us in a right nightmare, it has. Not sure if we can fix it either. Is that what you wanted? If it is, you managed.”
As Severus snarled back, straightening up and ready to fight, Albus tried to get everyone calmed down, but wasn’t managing. Yes, the fight was on and he wasn’t sure he could stop it.
As the shouting started, with plenty of people standing and accusing, Remus just sat there calmly taking it all in. As he did, he had to fight the urge to smile. Yes, this was good and would help. Not only that, but it was highly amusing! Sirius would love hearing about this and he planned to detail the whole incident to his old friend so he could have some chuckles over it. Even Albus couldn’t stop what started, though he was trying. Oh, this was hilarious!

Though uptight because of where they were, Sirius wasn’t overly so. It was just the idea they were in Tom’s home, nothing more. As Lucius had mentioned, Tom had them visit so they could get through the wards if something happened and they needed to hide. They had taken a quick tour of the house, something to show it was just that, a house, not a trick, and were now settled in Tom’s study were he conducted business. Tea was served by an elf and they were being filled in on what was going on. Nothing at all stressful.
A hand on Harry’s leg, Sirius couldn’t help but grin at what he saw. Harry had brought Calvin along for the visit. As he was plenty attached to the cat, no one objected. Calvin had a paw on Nagini’s head where she was lounging by Harry, her head resting on his arm, grooming her scales. That was funny! From what he could tell, Harry was talking to the snake, chuckling as he did.
“The cat is a riot,” Tom observed with a snort and shake of his head as he watched what was going on. As Nagini wasn’t the least bit stressed and actually seemed like she enjoyed the grooming as well as talking to Harry, he wasn’t going to stay a word.
Tom then sobered up and slid into ‘official’ mode. There were bits and bobs to cover, so he wanted to do so while the two were here since he wanted to involve them slightly. “We have a plan,” he told them, looking between the two. “And it’s one we need your help with.” Before Sirius could say anything, Tom held up his hand and assured him, “No mission or anything such as that, my word. I just need you here for a meeting of sorts.”
“It’s something you’ll enjoy,” Lucius assured the two, smirking just a tad.
“What does it entail?” Sirius asked, not about to agree to anything unless he knew just what was involved.
“The time has come we need to deal with Severus,” Tom told him, leaning forward, hands clasped on his desk, glancing between Harry and Sirius. “With both of you out and me not being able to get the information all of you were providing, though Arthur and Remus will help, we need to know what he knows so we can plan accordingly.”
“We know he’s lying to the Dark Lord about plenty, as would be expected since he’s a spy,” Lucius told them, picking up where Tom left off. “What we also know from all of us hearing it, is he’s lying to Albus as well. This tells us there’s an agenda there, one we need to be aware of. Before the old man can plan too much, we need what Severus knows and for him to be on the right side so we receive accurate information.”
“There won’t be any torture or other areas which will upset you,” Tom continued from where Lucius left off. “My word. All we need of you two is to sit here, nothing more. We’ll hide you at first, then drop the bomb on him. It should get him going the way we want so we can suss out what in Merlin’s name he’s up to. Our best shot at ensuring he gives up what is really going on is to blindside him. That’s where you’ll come in. We’ll reveal what is really going on then move from there.”
“As long as there isn’t any torture or whatever which we won’t like,” Sirius told him after a glance at Harry and seeing his godson nod.
“My and Lucius’ word,” Tom assured him. “The ones who are staying in the manor with all of you will be there because of what they symbolize, but it’s more a ploy to ensure he talks. Lucius and I think if we blindside him enough with the truth, we can get out of him what’s really going on then ensure he feeds us the information we need, fully without lying. While Arthur and Remus are good, Severus is closer to Albus, thus more apt to receive a more complete picture of what the man is planning. We need this, and I don’t think I need to explain why either.”
“Gotcha,” Sirius agreed with a nod. “We’ll be here as long as we’re not drawn in more than we already are and no torture.”
“Our word,” Lucius assured him again.
“Do you have any idea what he’s up to?” Harry asked, glancing around. “We know part of course, but it’s not all.” He was now petting Calvin, who had finished grooming Nagini and was curled up in his lap. “Just seems strange he has his own agenda in this.”
“We only have guesses,” Lucius told him with a sigh, looking at Tom to see if the Dark Lord wanted to explain it.
“Actually, our thought is he’s protecting you, Harry,” Tom told them, figuring it was best to lay it out there. “It has to do with his relationship with your mother when they were growing up. I won’t get into all we know as some of it’s quite unpleasant and you don’t want to hear it, but we think whatever Albus cajoled him into was nudged there by something to do with what he felt for your mother.” He then asked, gently, glancing at Sirius, “You do know about the relationship, don’t you?” After all, he didn’t want Harry blindsided by some of what might come.
“He does,” Sirius assured them. “I explained it to him.”
“Good,” Tom said with a relieved nod. Then he pressed on, “Because of some of what we do know, we think Severus realizes what Albus may have planned for Harry and is trying to protect him as well, hence the lying. Not sure what he has planned, something we do need to find out, but it’s tied into all of this. If that is the case, we can easily use it to nudge him where we want to go. Proving I’m protecting Harry and why should be all it takes for him to land where we need him.”
Now understanding, Sirius assured him, “We’ll help all we can. Just so it doesn’t expose us if that’s not the case and you can’t get him on the right track.”
“We have a way to ensure it never makes it back to Albus,” Lucius told them. “If this was a risk to expose what’s truly going on, we wouldn’t attempt it. No, we’ve worked out what we need to do and all possible spanners which could come. In the end, if we’re wrong, Severus won’t be able to impart any of what he sees or hears to anyone. Our word.”
“Then we’re good,” Harry said softly, leaning against Sirius.
“It’ll be a couple days from now and I’ll ensure you know ahead of time,” Tom told them, pleased they had agreed. He was damned sure the two knowing just what was going on and how they were helping him would be all it took to make Severus move the way he wanted him. If not, he’d find a way.
“Now that we have that settled,” Tom started, leaning back and relaxing, “I wanted to invite you to a dinner tomorrow night. Narcissa is having a largish spread for those of us close and we want you to join. I’ll be there, of course, as will Lucius. With the two of us in attendance, you know nothing foolish will transpire with anyone. We want you to get to know those closest to me in case they have to help protect you. Our thought was this was the best way to start in that direction. Rest assured it’s not business related in anyway, just a dinner to relax and enjoy.”
“It’s at the manor, so we don’t have to go anywhere,” Lucius explained, looking at the two. “And it won’t be the formal sort, just a relaxed meal with good food and conversation.”
Though unnerved because he knew who was around, Sirius let out a sigh then glanced at Harry, who was gazing at him. He leaned over and conferred with Harry then straightened up and said, “That’s fine, we’ll come. Just so it’s not too nobby. Neither of us are into that sort of thing.”
“My word it isn’t,” Lucius reiterated with a pleased look. “You’ll enjoy it as well. Just a couple of hours. You’ll be seated by me with the Dark Lord on the other side of you. No foolish stunts will take place.”
“Then we’re good,” Harry said softly, slightly apprehensive about this.
With a nod, still looking pleased, Lucius then launched in about an idea they had for wards on the new house. As it involved letting the Dark Lord through the protections so he could do what was required, he needed permission first. Of course, he doubted it was an issue since the two knew how good the Dark Lord was, but wanted it out there.

After coming home and settling in when tea was finished, Lucius was smirking as he watched Harry go through the mass of toys and whatnot which arrived for Calvin. Some would need assembled, but it wasn’t hard. The elves would take on the task, like normal. It appeared both the cat and Harry were happy with the mass, having fun going through what was there. Settling back in his comfortable chair with a drink, he looked at all the paperwork scattered about. These were areas he and Sirius would have to attend to at some point tonight then send off so it could be finished as quickly as possible.
A glance at Sirius made his eyebrow go up. He was reading a letter and grinning hugely, shoulders shaking like he was trying to hold in some laughter. Curious, he asked, “Do I want to know what’s causing so much mirth?”
“Oh, this is great,” Sirius told him, voice uneven from the suppressed chuckles. Then he explained what Remus told him about the meeting. When he finished, hearing Harry laugh and seeing Lucius looking highly amused, he said, “From what he says, it was an all out war with Albus not able to get it under any kind of control. Spells flew, truths tossed out there no one liked and Snape on the end of plenty just having at him. Even Minerva was on the receiving end of plenty. It is something I would have loved to see!”
“That had to be great to watch!” Harry laughed, petting and cuddling on Calvin when he crawled in his lap.
“I’m going to make him write up a detailed rundown of all of it so we can get a good laugh,” Sirius told the two, tossing the letter on the table since it didn’t have anything else in it they needed to know. “He said the Order is now so divided they’ll be scrambling to end up cohesive enough to tend to anything.”
“Something which can only help us,” Lucius observed with a pleased nod. “Not something we planned for, but it works.”
“Oh yes,” Sirius told him, still grinning and chuckling softly. With a groan, he then stretched before giving a contented sigh. “Anything we need to plan for besides the bit with Tom?” He asked Lucius. There were some areas, like the paperwork and their solicitors coming, so he wanted kept up to speed and be able to plan accordingly.
“Actually, yes,” Lucius told him with a nod. After putting his drink down, he straightened up then told the two, “I have a meeting with my Solicitor tomorrow about the whole production. Not sure what might come of it, but it’s there. I’ll know more tomorrow when I return and fill you in. I also thought, since I don’t have anything on the agenda other than that, it was the day I would take you to the house. We can spend several hours looking around so the two of you can decide what you would like or what needs added.”
“That sounds great,” Harry said with a nod, curious what the house looked like anyway and wanting to see it.
“We can take as much time as you like to wander around,” Lucius told them, looking pleased. “No rush. The only other plan I have is spending time with Draco. As he’ll be gone tomorrow during the day, I’ll do so after tea. We can then do whatever and tend to business which crops up. I thought it would do the both of you good to get out of the house for a time.”
“It will,” Sirius agreed with a smile. “The gardens are great, of course, but it’s not the same as being able to do whatever and just leave.”
“My thoughts,” Lucius told him. “Once the next layer of wards is on, I think it’ll be safe for you both to hop over to the house for the day if you wish. No longer than say six hours, but it’ll allow you some freedom. You can partake in anything you like there and do whatever. It should help keep you from going mental.”
Then he added, softly, “I want you to understand you’re welcome at the manor any time after we move. If you fancy coming over to ride or whatever, you’re allowed to come. No one will say a word. Narcissa will ensure you’re tended to. This is also your home, I want you to understand that. It’s best you grow comfortable with it. As this mess settles, I’ll start taking you around to some of my other properties. If you fancy staying elsewhere for a few nights, we can easily do so.”
“That’s a cool idea,” Harry said after standing and coming over to sit with the two. “Could be great as we’ve both ended up cooped up so much.”
“I agree,” Lucius nodded. “We’ll manage. For now it’ll just end up a tricky venture. Even with the stresses and wariness, we can still manage if you fancy.”
“That’s an offer we’ll end up taking you up on,” Sirius smiled, slipping an arm around Harry and pulling him close. “I like it, Lucius.”
“Thought you might,” Lucius admitted with a smile. “We’ll find a way to stave off boredom, never fear.”
“Now,” he said, looking over the mass of papers, “what do we need to tend to? Is this for the schooling or parts dealing with Albus?”
“Both,” Sirius grumbled, glaring at all the mind melting paperwork. “And we need it done as fast as we can manage. My Solicitor made that right clear. So, we need to tackle it tonight, Lucius.”
“Never fear, we’ll knock it out quickly enough,” Lucius assured him with a dismissive wave. “Now, let’s divide it up to the two topics so we can handle both in order and not end up confusing ourselves. While we tend to this, Harry can go through the catalogs Narcissa procured and pick out what he fancies when it comes to clothes and whatever. You can do the same when we finish. Then we’ll send the order off. We should have it in a day or so.”
“Good way to do this,” Sirius nodded, shoving the catalogs over to Harry before starting to sort through the huge mass of parchment. He was thankful Lucius was around since he would end up going mad slugging through all of this without help!
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Well, Ain't That Strange?