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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
- 33
- 34
- 35
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 33

After hearing the plan for this, Sirius gave a nod, grinning slightly. It was bound to end up interesting, that’s for damned sure! They were at Tom’s and were going to tend to Snape. And, as Lucius and Tom explained, they were going to blindside the man in a way which should send him into a panic, at least as much as he did get unnerved, then get him moving how they wanted. Once he gave up whatever, they’d all know how to proceed.
With a nod, he agreed to what they wanted then added, “We’ll not only stay Disillusioned, but use Harry’s cloak until you say it’s time. Not sure on Calvin there, and if you can get him to do what you want, but it’s not a problem.” He then reached over and petted the cat in question.
“He’s quite good at following some orders, so he should,” Lucius told him. “We’ll manage, not to worry. Just observe and use the standard charm so he hears no noises from you. You have our word you won’t end up distressed by seeing anything upsetting.”
“Not sure how long this will take, though,” Tom told him honestly after taking a seat behind his desk. “It’ll depend on how stubborn he is. With what we know of Severus, it could take some time. We’ll manage in the end.”
Then with a bit of a smile, he added, “And you’ll see me how everyone thinks I look for the first part. Nothing to worry about. The two of you know me and how I am with those close. You’ll hear the other part until we get him moving the way we want. Then I’ll let him in on the secret all of you know.”
“We’re good there,” Harry nodded, smiling a little as he petted the purring Calvin. Since they knew Tom used the other façade because it was expected, not to terrorize, there wasn’t an issue. He and Sirius were as comfortable with him as they could get by now. In time, it would probably grow better, but it was good how it was. At least there was some trust there as Tom kept his word about everything he told them so far and helped all he could with plenty.
“Good,” Tom said with a nod. “Just follow our lead and it’ll all go fine. In the end, we’ll get what we want out of Severus, it may just take plenty of time. I do think, though, once it’s revealed you’re here, the bond with Lucius and other parts we’ve done since this started, he’ll move how we want. It will just take us waiting to see.”
“Now,” he said, relaxing back and shifting to the next topic, “since you’ve given permission, I’ll be going over to your new house tomorrow to check the wards and see what I can add for you. It’ll take me a bit of time to figure out what to layer on once I see what’s there and the rest they’re adding. After all, I don’t want to collapse them. Not sure how much more I can do, but I do believe I can seal them, for lack of a better term, better and layer on a couple more which should shore everything up the best we can manage. In the end, you’ll be as protected as we can get you.”
“Good,” Sirius nodded. He was good with wards, but Tom was better. Anything to help there was fine with him.
“We’re going to need both of you soon to key you into the completed ones. I want that done before we move in, as they’re settling. If we go about it this way, your magic will weave into them, making them stronger.”
“Fine by us. Whenever you want, Lucius,” Sirius assured him. He could understand why they wanted to go about it this way, so they would do what was needed.
“Since you two are ready and fine with the plan, let me call everyone else in so I can give all of you a rundown of how I want this to work,” Tom said, straightening up. “Not to fear, as you know. Draco agreed to stay by you. The relationship there isn’t the best, but he knows the signal to tell me you’re growing uncomfortable. Narcissa will stay close as well. You know they won’t cause a problem.”
While the relationship with the two wasn’t the best yet, Sirius and Harry accepted it as the two wouldn’t do anything to hurt Lucius. As this involved Lucius so heavily and the two were trying to build a better relationship, they’d manage. “Fine by us. Just so we know what to expect and the signal we need to give.” Sirius nodded.
“I’ll let you work that out with Draco. He can then take it from there, but I don’t expect a problem. We’ll all be focused on Severus,” Tom assured him then signaled for everyone else to join them. As this would end up a tricky venture to pull off, he wanted as prepared as he could manage.

When the familiar, and not welcome, burn lit up his arm, Severus hissed, dropping his book and grabbing hold of the garish tattoo. As always, his heart began to hammer faster and gut clench. It was time to face the maniac again. With how everything had been going, he didn’t want to go, but knew better than not to. No, the price for not showing up was too high that he wouldn’t risk it.
Quickly summoning his robes and mask, he then put them on. However, before leaving, he Floo’d Albus to let him know he had been summoned. As always, the old man looked concerned and told him to be careful. This was the standard, of course, and Severus expected it. However, he also knew the man wanted the information he could give more than he was concerned. It was the way it went.
After striding outside and steeling himself, he Apparated away. Yes, it was time to gather information for not only Albus, but himself. The more he had, the better he could protect Potter, from both sides.

As usual, he met one of the other Death Eaters at the entrance of the meeting point then was lead to the Dark Lord’s study. After the normal greeting, with him kneeling, he removed his mask and took a seat. With normal meetings like this, the mask wasn’t needed. It also told him this was for informational purposes, not a mission of some kind.
After settling into the chair the Dark Lord indicated, Severus tried to look relaxed. Well, as relaxed as one could get in the presence of the maniac. A surreptitious glance around, showed this was a meeting of the most high powered of the Dark Lord’s followers, minus Lucius. Lucius being absent wasn’t odd because of his job and what he did at the Ministry. It was odd, however, that Draco and Narcissa were there. It made him wonder if there was a mission of some sort in the planning stages. The two were involved once in a while, despite him trying to keep Draco out of it, but not much. From what he could tell, the Dark Lord only pulled them out when it was something huge.
When the Dark Lord started speaking, Severus focused, planning to do the normal; take in everything he said. While he could figure parts out, Albus could do more, so it behooved him to pay close attention.

Tom knew everything was in place the best they could get and everyone knew the signals to watch for, so it was time. Taking his normal posture in his chair after checking to make sure Calvin was down on the floor by him with Hobbes as Nagini was keeping the normal cat busy, he launched in. “We have much to discuss, Severus.” When the man nodded, he asked the usual, “Is there anything I need made aware of when it comes to Albus?”
“Some,” Severus told him then went on to detail a few items he knew to pass along, leaving out the worst, like the infighting amongst the Order and the two vanishing. Those he wouldn’t reveal until he had to, after the Dark Lord found out another way, something he was certain would come at some point. There were also a couple bits and bobs fabricated to protect Potter. He could use them later with Albus as well to spin him in circles a tad.
Though Tom took in what Severus said and filed it away, he knew most of it from Lucius and it wasn’t earth shattering nor was it anything he was concerned about. The rest—he would find out soon if it was real or part of what Severus was doing. Then he would press on to find the truth. After a nod, he said, “Good. The more information we have, the better equipped we’ll be to deal with anything Albus wants to pull.”
“I’m giving you what I can, my Lord,” Severus told him. So far, this wasn’t bad. He’d have to wait, though, as one never knew where these meetings went. They could start out calmly enough then degenerate into something horrific. Best to stay on his toes and judge by the way the questions went.
Leaning forward, hands clasped on the desk, Tom looked at Severus intently then said, about to delve into what they wanted, “I have something I need to impart and go over with you. It involves Albus, of course, and I need your help with some information.”
Now wary and alert because of what this could mean, Severus gave a nod then told him, “Whatever you need, my Lord. I’ll assist all I can.”
“First, I think there is something you need to see,” Tom told him. As that was the signal for Lucius and Calvin, he then waited.
Not sure what this could mean, Severus was warier than before, but nodded.
As planned, Lucius, as Hobbes, hopped up onto the desk by Tom, sitting all regal like, a smug look on his face. Then they waited.
Though his expression remained the same passive mask it always was, Severus’ gut clenched when he saw the cat. Not as familiar with the animal of Potter’s as others, he thought this cat sure looked like the beast the brat had. Now he had to wait to see what it meant.
Lucius meowed then looked down where Calvin was, knowing this would work. When Calvin hopped up by him, purring loudly and starting to groom his fur, he glared at Severus, waiting.
There were two of them? Severus didn’t understand what this could mean. Well, beyond it probably wasn’t good. How in Merlin’s good name did the Dark Lord get his hands on Potter’s cat? The only thing which came to mind made his heart sink. It was the thought he had managed to get his hands on the brat. And that wasn’t good. Eyes flitting to the Dark Lord, he waited to see where this was going, but had a horrid feeling he wouldn’t like it.
“You’re familiar with Hobbes, this I know,” Tom pressed on, reaching over and putting his boney hand on Lucius’ head. “The other you’re not. He’s Calvin,” he then said, giving the loudly purring Calvin a pet. “Calvin is Mr. Potter’s cat now, one he was given as a replacement for Hobbes. Hobbes—well, let’s say he wasn’t really Mr. Potter’s pet.” He then looked at Lucius and asked, “Were you, Hobbes?”
After a loud meow, Lucius transformed back then picked up the purring Calvin, petting him as he sat on the edge of the desk. “No,” he said, looking plenty smug. Though Severus’ expression hadn’t changed, he knew the man was probably as close to panicked as he ever came. “I wasn’t a pet. My Animagus form had other uses in that area.” Then, to tweak Severus, he added, “Grimmauld Place was a most interesting abode where I heard plenty, though.”
Oh, bloody hell! Severus knew this was about as bad as it could get. If Lucius was the brat’s cat, though everyone had checked for him being an Animagus, it meant he knew everything. He was now convinced he was a dead man and it would probably be in the most painful way he could ever imagine. There was no out when it came to this that he could see. All he could do was see how it went.
“We do know what’s going on, Severus,” Tom told him, giving a hissy chuckle when Calvin hopped out of Lucius’ arms and came over to groom Nagini, who had slithered onto his shoulders. “You are smart and extremely sneaky, a true Slytherin in every sense of the word. However, we’ve known for quite some time you’re a spy. All of us,” he added, gesturing around. “There are many agendas and plans happening you knew nothing about because we were aware you were spying for Albus. And you’re about to learn the biggest of them. Once it’s revealed, we’ll go from there with what I want to know from you.”
He then let out another hissy chuckle when Calvin began to rub against his bicep, purring loudly, wanting petted. “Mr. Potter,” he started, sounding amused, “can you gather your cat and give him the attention he wants, please?” As this was the signal, he waited for Harry and Sirius to reveal themselves.
Unable to help himself, Severus’ eyes widened and he stiffened. Potter was here? Oh, Merlin! He didn’t know what to think of this! Now he would wait to see what came of it. There was no out if Potter had somehow or other joined the Dark Lord. He would know everything and plenty they didn’t want him aware of.
As this had gone according to plan and nothing bothered them when it came to what they saw and heard, Sirius was calm. Though he was chuckling internally over what Snape was probably thinking and feeling, he could now see why the plan would probably work. Canceling the spell then pulling off the cloak, he relaxed back and crossed his legs while Harry went to pick up Calvin. This should be quite interesting from here on out.
Though uptight, Harry walked over and picked up his cat, holding him close. He stood next to Tom when the man put his hand on his back, giving him a reassuring pat. As he stood there, he looked at Snape and waited for this to press on.
“As you can see, Messrs Potter and Black are here. And they aren’t prisoners of mine either. I will also state quite clearly they aren’t my followers.” Tom told him. While the normal expression Severus always had was firmly in place, it was easy to read some panic in his eyes. Good. It meant this had a good chance of working the way they wanted with minimal issues. Well, he hoped anyway.
“Let me ask this, Harry,” Tom then said, focusing on the young wizard. “Have I harmed you since we’ve met after the debacle in the cemetery?”
“No,” Harry said truthfully with a shake of his head. As he was prepared for this, it didn’t bother him. Then he waited for the rest.
“Can you tell Severus what role I am fulfilling when it comes to you?” He then asked, eyes locked on Severus. The more they dragged this on, the more likely Severus was to move more quickly in the direction they needed.
“You’ve been protecting me and helping us,” Harry said honestly shifting from foot to foot nervously. He did feel for Snape as he had to think the worst right now, but knew why it was being done, so he would go on with it.
“You and Black are here willingly, aren’t you?” Tom then asked. This was the last he would involve Harry other than some questions later. “No coercion or force was used for you to be here, am I right?”
“We’re here of our own free will,” Harry agreed with a nod.
“Thank you,” Tom told him then gave him a pat on the back to let him know he could take a seat.
Tom waited until Harry walked over and sat back down by Black before continuing. Leaning back in his chair, stroking Nagini’s head, he said, “There is more going on than you know, Severus, much more. Let’s start with the easiest one first.” Looking at Lucius, he gestured for him to show Severus the paper.
Smug look in place, Lucius handed over his copy of the bonding certificate. Because it was his, it didn’t have the spell attached to it and revealed his name. “That is what’s going on, Severus. I’ll let you take a gander and give it time to sink in before we press on.”
Severus took the paper, pleased his hands didn’t tremble when he did, then looked it over. A quick glance told him what it was, of course. However, he was stunned when he looked at the names on the bottom. As expected, Black and Potters were there. What stunned him was Lucius’ was as well. Swallowing thickly, he glanced back up, still clutching the paper, not sure what to do.
“I am bonded with them as well,” Lucius said clearly. “All they told you is true; they are bonded and Arthur Weasley did the spell with Remus Lupin witnessing it. However, I was there and part of it. It was known I was part of the bond.”
Lupin and Arthur knew as well? Severus couldn’t process the fact the two would do anything like this if Lucius was involved. It was so far beyond his comprehension, it didn’t make sense.
“Sirius was the one who concocted the plan for me to join them as an Animagus,” Lucius pressed on, smirking when it didn’t appear Severus was going to say anything. “Our Lord then helped to nudge all of you the way we needed to remove us from that hellhole on Privet Drive. Since then, all those showing up, which caused so much panic, were planned to do just that. Narcissa imitated me at times, Draco at another so I could stay with Harry and Sirius.”
He then lifted his chin and glared at Severus. Tone taking an icy bite, he added, “You were attacked by me because those insults you hurled at Sirius also labeled me as a child molester, Severus. I am no such thing, nor is Sirius. There was no choice in this. I didn’t know I was involved until the debacle at the Department of Mysteries. Harry was just as blindsided as I was by it. You were working against forces you had no idea about.”
Severus just stared at Lucius then looked down again at the paper he held, still unable to wrap his mind around what this all meant. As he pondered it, gut clenching, he was honestly at a loss as to what he should do. So far there was no torture, but he was certain it was coming. Now what did he do and how could he manage to get himself out of this?
When Severus didn’t say anything, Tom took over from Lucius. “There is more in play here than you ever knew, Severus, much more. Now the time has come for you to tell us what you know. We have guesses, of course, as we have more information than you ever thought we knew. Plenty helped us gather it, not just Lucius. So, let’s go from here.” Then he began to ask the hard questions.

After about an hour, Severus finally caved. It appeared the Dark Lord had done something Albus never had when it came to Potter; protected him completely. There was no other agenda from what he could tell. Black had confirmed plenty, even letting on he had filled the Dark Lord in on everything they could. When the pointed, direct question about what Albus was truly planning for Potter came, Severus gave up. With a sigh, he explained, “He’s following the Prophecy you knew about from the first war. His plan is for Potter to face you and die. There is a Horcrux in his scar which he needs to get rid of for this war to end.”
“As we thought,” Tom nodded, pleased Severus was finally moving in the direction they wanted. Leaning back, he pulled the book out they had found when trying to figure out what the connection was, the one with the spell to test for a Horcrux in it. Quickly thumbing through it, he found the spell then passed it over to Severus. “That is a spell to test for a Horcrux. Black will cast the spell and pass you the results.” He then motioned Sirius to come over with Harry.
Since this was planned for, Sirius stood and put a hand on Harry’s back then guided them over in front of the desk where Lucius was sitting. After Snape read through the spell, he cast it on Harry then passed Snape the paper which came out of his wand. “It’s not a Horcrux,” he said with a shake of his head. “We checked for that early on when it came to figuring out what the connection was.”
Severus took the slip from Black and looked at it, brow furrowed. Then he glanced back at the book. This was authentic, from what he could tell. For the first time, he asked a question rather than just answer what he was asked, “What is it then? Albus swears that’s what it is from the clues.”
“We thought so as well at first,” Tom told him honestly. Then he explained the curse. When he finished, he said, “There are no Horcruxes, Severus. You have my word. Believe me, if I had made one, I would have known. I didn’t. The diary wasn’t a Horcrux. It was cursed, yes, and allowed me to preserve part of myself in it, but it was no Horcrux.”
“Merlin,” Severus muttered, shutting the book and rubbing the bridge of his nose. If Albus’ plans had ended up fulfilled, Potter would have died because of a mistake. That made him feel ill.
“Why are you spying, Severus?” Tom asked, delving into the bigger questions he had. As they had blindsided the man, something you could tell as he went paler than normal after the Horcrux bit, he thought he could get the answers he wanted then move on from there. “It’s something we all want to know.”
Severus swallowed thickly then said, not looking up, “I made a vow long ago to protect Potter, for Lily. I planned to do so.”
“At Albus’ behest?” Tom then asked, figuring that was the case.
“Yes,” Severus confirmed with a nod. By now, he was so off-kilter, he didn’t know what to think. And, honestly? It felt good to finally tell the truth. If what he just heard was right, Potter was in no danger from the Dark Lord. In fact, he was plenty safe with the best protection he could ever get. It was needed as it appeared Albus was the bigger villain when it came to the brat.
“Yet you’re lying to him as well,” Tom observed softly. “Why?”
“My vow was to protect Potter,” Severus sighed, slouching down slightly, looking at the floor. “He needed protected from not only you, but Albus and what he had planned. If I kept the both of you running in circles, my thought was I could find a way to fix the situation without causing his death or him ending up facing you in a battle. What I needed was time. By playing both of you, I was buying the time I needed to find a solution.”

“A very good reason,” Tom told him, smirking slightly. Then he said, using the tone he did with those he didn’t have to keep up appearances for, “You no longer need to. The vow you made can easily be fulfilled by helping me. I’ve given my word that I will protect Harry and am keeping it. Sirius can confirm I am.”
“He is,” Sirius nodded. This was good and what they needed, so he would tell the truth. “He’s done all he could for us, helping plenty though it wasn’t easy.”
Severus lifted his eyes and gazed as Black, thinking it over. Then they slid to the Dark Lord. As he looked at the man, they widened slightly when his serpentine appearance shifted and was replaced by a normal human face. Not sure what to make of what he was seeing, he waited.
“This is what I look like, Severus, not the other. The other is a glamour, nothing more,” Tom told him with a chuckle. “We need your help to protect them until Albus stops or finds out he is wrong. You can keep your vow to Lily by doing so.”
With his eyes still locked on the unfamiliar face, Severus thought it over. If Black and Potter, both of whom had probably needed plenty of convincing to agree, were here and accepted, it was the right move. With a sigh, he nodded, “I will.”
“Good,” Tom said, pleased, relaxing back. “Now, let’s see what we can hash out then work on to keep Albus going while we figure out a way to end this for good.”
As that was a plan he could get behind, Severus straightened up. “Of course, my Lord.” And, honestly? He felt better than he had in years. Maybe this was the way to fulfill the vow he had made. It seemed far better than what he had been going through.
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Well, Ain't That Strange?