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And Another Life Begins	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 13992 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter 4

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. Thanks, woman! You're the BEST!

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A very grouchy and out of sorts Severus was standing in the bedroom putting his pajamas and robe on after taking a shower. It wasn't that Lucius or Harry had done anything to put him in a bad mood, it was more like this was his last day of 'freedom'. The following day was September first, thus the start of term. The thought that he, once more, had to go and deal with a bunch of inept, hormonal brats put him in a dour, bad mood every year. This year, because of all that had happened, was worse. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he was reluctant to give up all the time he was spending with his two companions to go back to teaching. No, it wasn't like he was giving it up totally but the time they had up to this point would be gone and there had to be a great deal of subterfuge to even accomplish what they were going to do. He was also aware that if Harry 'came out' and admitted he was back then in a relationship with the two of them, part of that would go away but another part would come into play, something that would make it infinitely worse. This was, as they all saw it, the best way to go about the whole thing. It wasn't optimal by any means, but it was better than the alternative.

Sighing, he tugged his clothes on, preparing to go down at get the first cup of tea for the day while Lucius showered. Harry had already finished and was probably downstairs making sure the elves knew that they were up. Smirking, he thought about the reason they couldn't shower together. Though, in theory, it would be quicker and it wasn't as though they hadn't seen each other naked or the shower wasn't big enough for all of them like at Spinners End, it was more they tended to get 'distracted' thus it took a great deal more time to accomplish anything. No, since he and Lucius had to be up at the castle at a certain time for the final meeting before the start of term then they had plans for the night, it was best to go about it this way.

Just as he was slipping into his robe, Mimi, looking distressed, pulling on her ears popped in. Eyebrow arched, he looked at the elf, wondering what in Merlin's name was going on with her. Since being in contact with the little elf, he had observed the she was fairly collected and not prone to the histrionics of so many of her kind. This was very odd.

Looking up at Severus, Mimi, tears in her eyes, squeaked out, “Master Severus? Can yous hurry to the kitchen? Master Harry is in a right state! Claude and I don't know what to do!”

Brow now furrowing, Severus sighed then said, “I'll go down to see what's going on.”

Looking grateful, the elf thanked him then popped away.

Sliding into his slippers, Severus poked his head into the bathroom and told Lucius to hurry, that he was needed downstairs then went to find out what was going on. Harry, from what he knew of him since hooking up in France, had calmed down a lot and matured, something that came with age. It would, at this juncture, take quite a lot to set him off. That made him apprehensive.

One step off the stairs where a privacy ward ended that kept the sleeping areas relatively quiet from the hustle and bustle of the main living area and Severus could hear Harry swearing up a storm and the sounds of multiple pieces of serving ware being broken. Alright, this wasn't good. Hurrying into the kitchen, he was stunned to see the furious young man shattering whatever was breakable with his wand, using foul language. Now, Severus knew that Harry was capable of such language, having heard some of it in bed at times, but he tended not to say such things normally, as would be proper.

Stepping in, making sure to be cautious, Severus cleared his throat then said, knowing it would get Harry's attention, “Mr. Potter, what do you think you're doing!”

Spinning around, face a mask of pure fury, Harry gritted his teeth then snarled, “The fucking Prophet! I hate that fucking rag!”

Hearing the name of the stupid paper, Severus gave a weary sigh then rubbed a hand over his face. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was the worst case scenario, something he hoped hadn't come to pass. However, if Harry was this mad, it wasn't going to be good no matter what it was. After casting a Reparo on the broken things, he gruffed, “Sit down, Harry,” then called for the elves to bring them tea.

Sitting at the table, he picked up the paper that had been tossed onto it in a haphazard way then looked at the front page. Once glance was enough to see what set Harry's temper off. The headline screamed 'Harry Potter has Returned!' in a big, bold font with a picture below it of him just before he had left a decade before. A quick skim of the article told him that it was speculation, more of the 'a source told me' kind of thing rather than true facts but it was close enough to the truth that whatever source they had was one that had all the facts. That was bad. Glancing at the byline, he sneered when he saw that it was Lavender Brown that had written the piece. He knew that the damned bint had gone to work for the Prophet after graduation and was one of the biggest gossip columnists they had, no surprise there considering what she had been like in school.

Tossing the paper onto the table with a glare, he sneered at it. “Merlin's grey hairy scrote, this we don't need already!” He muttered, rubbing his face once again.

Flopping into a chair across from Severus, face still a mask of fury, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and just glowered. “If I find out who said something to that stupid gossip, I’m hexing them within an inch of their life! What the fuck? Everyone knew that I wanted this kept a secret!”

“And if you figure it out, I'll assist you. Lucius, I imagine, will volunteer as well,” Severus sighed.

“I'll volunteer for what?” Lucius asked as he stepped in. “When it comes to the two of you, I'm certain that I will enjoy it but I like to know such things before jumping in.” Smiling at the two, he seated himself at the table. “Now, what was so urgent that I needed to hurry along my morning ablutions?”

Without a word, Severus shoved the paper over to him, nodding gratefully at Mimi as she brought the tea and the start of breakfast.

Like Harry, one glance at the headline had Lucius swearing. Though he did it a language that wasn't English. Shoving the paper away after a quick skim of the article, he poured himself a cup of tea, looking thunderous. “If it involves me volunteering to hex busybodies, then, yes, indeed, I volunteer!”

“It was more whoever told them. Though I'm all for hexing Lav-Lav there on general purposes,” Harry snarled as he poured his tea then began to butter a croissant.

Snorting in amusement at the old pet name gifted to Lavender by Ron Weasley, Severus then said, “Yes, I can see where such a thing would be cathartic but it's not feasible right now. We need to just leave it alone. What is there is speculation on her part, nothing more, from an unnamed source. Though we know it's right, most won't.”

“Oh, and the people that subscribe to the Prophet don't take what they say seriously?” Harry snapped. “They used to take it as the gospel truth when I was in school and during the war. Though I had hoped that would change, I somehow don't think it has.”

With a sigh, Severus nodded, “You're right, of course, Harry, they do. However, though it may set off a frenzy, as long as you stay hidden and don't say anything, all it will be is speculation. It just means you're going to have to be vigilant about things and visiting friends, nothing more.”

“Though I dislike this turn of events as much as you do, Harry, Severus is right. They know nothing and have no way of finding you. As long as you keep up with what we planned, you won't have an issue,” Lucius reassured him. After that, he was wondering if there was a way to find out who Brown's source was so he could throw some nasty hexes at them.

“I know, I know,” Harry sighed. “It's just the idea that I haven't been back more than a week and this shite happens! I knew it would come out, I had hoped I had more time than this,” Harry sighed. “It just means everyone and their damned uncle is going to be looking for me now is all. Hopefully, no one here in Hogsmeade will think anything of the new person that moved in thus viewing me with suspicion.”

“They shouldn't,” Severus told him encouragingly. “Hogsmeade is a very busy place with people moving in and out all the time for various reasons. It's always been that way so it shouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow. Though they may wonder, chances are it will be dismissed quickly.” At least that's what Severus hoped. “Just make sure you're vigilant about some things and don't reveal much.”

“I agree with Severus on this. However, there are a couple things I would suggest. Though pop into the village from time to time to be seen or pick up a couple things, if you want to relax or do something entertaining, Apparate to London. There are far more people there so someone new won't be noticed as much. Also, when it comes to those close to you, make sure they are discreet about showing up. Everyone remembers who you were close to so them all turning up at the same place over and over again will be suspicious. If at all possible, meet them somewhere else for now or make sure they are Disillusioned when they come,” Lucius offered, hoping to stave off the inevitable as long as they could.

“Yeah, those are some good suggestions,” Harry nodded. “I'm going to pop out tomorrow and get an owl of some kind. I had thought just to use the post here in Hogsmeade but that might end up noticed.”

“Good idea. Though they aren't supposed to gossip about who they see send what, employees do tend to do that, especially when it would come to something like this,” Severus told him gruffly. “Just make sure you get a bird that doesn't stand out.”

“Yeah, something like Hedwig wouldn't be a good idea,” Harry chuckled. “No, a straight old barn owl will be fine.”

Settling back now that things were calmed, the three men were eating and discussing measures to stave off the secret as long as they could when the Floo went off, signaling a call. As Harry had spent the extra money to add the feature that would tell them by a tone who was calling, he could tell it was Sirius. Having expected that with what was in the paper, he excused himself to answer it, assuming it was just going to be the first of many such calls that morning he would have to deal with.

Sitting in the staff meeting, Severus and Lucius were less than happy for more than the normal reason of hating the damned things and the imminent approach of the start of term. The issue? Everyone at the bloody table was talking about that article in the paper. Yes, they expected it to happen. After all, it would be considered big news, but some that were there had seen Harry since his return.

Albus had been reading the paper when they walked in. Since Black, Hagrid and Lupin hadn't shown yet, they knew that Black and Lupin were down visiting Harry to work out something for visits so that no one suspected who he was while Hagrid was tending to something that needed done, there was a general talk about it. Dumbledore, having a serious expression on his face, had read the article then lowered the paper and asked those that were seated, “So, do any of you know if this is true? Is Harry back?”

Grinding his teeth, Severus was gripping his cup of tea harder than normal, hoping like hell everyone would keep their mouth shut but, of course, that couldn't be the case.

“Yes, Albus, Harry is back,” Minerva confirmed softly. “I saw him the other day. He looks wonderful!”

“Oh, really!” Albus muttered, stroking his beard, a hopeful look in his eye.

Looking at the aged wizard, the deputy headmistress said, tone slightly firm, eyes taking on that look that she got when she didn't want to discuss something further and was making it known to drop it, said, “He's made it clear he doesn't want to see you, Albus.”

Looking crestfallen, the headmaster nodded then sighed, “I had hoped that the time away would have softened Harry's view on that but it hasn't apparently.”

Hoping like hell to stave off things and stop the talk before it could go any further, thus revealing more than they wanted given out, Severus spoke up, saying, “If Mr. Potter is back, I believe he's earned his privacy. If he wants to see someone, it's up to him. All we are doing by talking about it is adding fuel to the gossip mill. As that will run like it always does, I would suggest that we don't encourage it.”

Nodding to him, giving him a small smile, Minerva said, “I agree with Severus. After all Harry's been through, his privacy is the least of what our world owes him. Gossiping or trying to figure out where he's living, what he's doing, whatever, isn't something we need to do.”

Giving her a grateful nod, Severus said nothing. Usually, when Minerva said something like this, the others listened then changed the topic. Though whatever might go on it private, publicly nothing more would be said.

Just then, a furious looking Black and Lupin came in. After throwing himself in his seat, Black tossed that morning's copy of the Prophet on the table, sneering darkly on it.

Hoping like hell that nothing more would be said, Severus opened his mouth to see if they couldn't get things rolling but it wasn't allowed to happen. Instead, a furious Sirius went on a tirade.

“Why the hell can't people like Brown keep their noses out of other people's business!” He snarled, setting the offending paper on fire with a quick wave of his wand.

Looking at Sirius, Minerva asked, softly, “Is he taking it well?”

“What do you think?” Black shot back. “He's pissed and I don't blame him! Though he's calmer than I thought he would be about it, I think I'll chalk that up to whoever it is that he's seeing since he said they had talked it out, but he's mad. He hasn't been back a week and this shite happens! I wouldn't blame him in the least if he gives it over as a bad job then yanks up stakes and heads back to France! He was happy there and only came back because of whoever it is he's seeing!”

Drawing in a deep breath, Lucius shot Black a murderous glare, hoping to shut him up and not give away anymore but he knew it wouldn't work. As he hadn't done the 'fence mending' Severus had with the young man before he left, it would look decidedly odd if he stepped in then said anything. Though, the whole time he was fingering his cane, wondering if there was a way to shoot a Silencio in Black's direction without it being known it was him.

With a weary sigh, Remus shook his head. “How it came out, we don't know. He had just bought a house and all that, is getting settled in then was hoping to stave this off as long as possible while he worked on his relationship then this happens. We spent the last hour or so down with him working on wards and other things to help him keep his privacy. I understand that people feel that they have a right to know about him after all that happened but someone needs to step up and say something so it stops. He's more than earned the right to have a life for himself and not to be bothered by those that feel they are entitled to know about everything he does. I hope that he won't decide to go back to France and will stick it out but I can't say I would blame him if he didn't.”

Glaring murderously at Black, hoping to shut him the hell up, Severus sneered but said nothing. If this kept going, the hints they were dropping, though meaningless to most, were something that Draco was going to put together as they mirrored things that had been said to him. That, on top of what was going on right now, was not something they needed. He was, however, saved from saying anything by Draco himself.

“Can we please move on from the topic of Saint Potter and his glorious return to the kingdom he saved and get this over? I want to savor my last day of freedom without being graced with tales of poor Potter and how rough his life is,” Draco drawled, sneer firmly in place.

“Draco...” Lucius warned, shooting his son a look. Though he hoped that what his son said would do just that and get it the hell off the topic it was on.

Looking back at his father, Draco said nothing, slouching in his chair and folding his arms over his chest. Though it looked like he was pouting as Dumbledore launched into what they needed to discuss, the truth was he was thinking. What Black and the others had said was clicking with him. The things his father and godfather said, not to mention Jay himself, were too similar for his comfort. The thought that was coming to mind wasn't one he liked. He didn't like the fact that his father had hooked up with Jay to start with and he knew they were hiding something, he just didn't know what. Now, though, he thought he had an inkling what it was and liked that even less.

Not paying attention to anything that was being said as this was Dumbledore's normal, pat start of term peptalk, Draco ran over everything that was just said and what he had heard from his father about the relationship. There were several glowing things that stood out and he didn't think was a coincidence, such as coming from France. No, he didn't like the conclusion but was certain he was right. That meant that he was going to find out for himself once the meeting was over.

Severus and his father, as he knew, were going to be busy for at least an hour once the meeting was over. Though that wasn't a lot of time, it would be enough to go and confront this Jay without them there. Once they did show up, it wouldn't be pretty but he was certain he would know by then.

Slouching further down in his chair, ignoring his father's reprimand in the form of a glare about his posture, Draco began planning how to go about things while paying slight attention to what was going on so that he didn't miss something that might pertain to him.

As Draco had ensured that everything that needed done to be prepared for the start of school was in place, he was free after the meeting. After mumbling something to his father about having something to do, he took off down towards Hogsmeade with a true purpose in mind. Running through the way to go about this, he quickly made it to 'Jay's' house. Stopping where the wards were, he waited to be let through them, an evil smirk on his face.

Puttering around, still snarling to himself, trying to get things in place still, Harry was not in the best frame of mind. Though he was in a better mood than he had been that morning, it still wasn't great. It was just the urge to go find Lav-Lav and hex her into oblivion was gone. He was working in what was now the library of the house when he felt someone at the wards wanting admittance. Casting a spell to determine who it was, he started snarling softly when he saw Draco's name. Well, so much for Lucius telling him to ask before coming down! He had known Draco wouldn't listen so this wasn't really a surprise, he just didn't like it was all.

Sliding his glamour into place, he then, with a heavy sigh, went to go talk to the younger Malfoy. It was his hope that once Draco learned Lucius wasn't here that he would go away. Right now, frankly, Draco, and his attitude, wasn't something that he needed to deal with.

Opening the front door, he let the younger Malfoy through the wards and he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. No, Draco being here wasn't going to raise suspicions but it was best to maintain that level of alert to ensure he did see something if it was needed. Leaning against the doorjamb, arms folded over his chest, he waited until Draco was close then said, keeping his tone polite, “Lucius and Severus aren't back from the school yet, sorry.”

Trying not to glare at 'Jay', Draco said, tone neutral, “I know. They'll be there another hour or so I think. Actually, I came down because I wanted to talk to you about some things.”

Oh, Harry didn't like that at all and didn't want to go there with the way his day had been so he was going to try to stave it off. With a sigh, he told Draco, “Sorry, today isn't a good day for that. I'm really busy trying to get things in order. Maybe later in the week when you have the time off?”

Not about to be put off when it came to this, the younger Malfoy said nothing then pushed around the being he was certain was Harry Potter and walked into the house, taking off his fine silk gloves as he did. Looking around, he nodded then said, “You've done well with decorating this place. It looks good.”

Snarling at that move, Harry turned around, following him, shutting the door hard behind him. This he didn't need and wasn't sure if he could deal with politely right now. Stepping into the room, he glared at his old nemesis then said, keeping his tone neutral, “Seriously, Draco, I have a lot to do today and don't have time for this.”

Spinning around, Draco glared at him then hissed, “Make time then! I'm not leaving until I get some answers to things that are troubling me.”

Leaning against one of the walls, Harry glared at him then snapped, “What are those? And if I feel it's none of your business, I'm going to tell you that! Also, before you start, you don't have the right to barge into my house and demand answers of me. If you ask nicely, you might get them. If you go about it another way, you won't. Understand?”

Seating himself in a chair, Draco ignored the little speech then pressed on, asking, “You said your name is Jay, right?”

“I said to call me Jay,” Harry corrected, not liking where this was going.

Nodding, taking that in, paying close attention to the wording, Draco picked imaginary lint off his pristine robes then said, “I thought so because I doubt it's your real name. I think I know your real one though and I believe it's Harry, as in Harry Potter. Right, Potter?” Looking up, smirking, he waited.

Oh, hell, this was certainly not what Harry needed right now. Rubbing a hand over his face, he sighed, not sure what to say because he wasn't going to outright lie about it either.

Just as he was trying to formulate something to get Draco off the track, he felt another signal from the wards. As he wasn't yet used to the readings they gave him, he couldn't yet determine who was who as they touched them but the dulcet tones of Sirius bellowing at him to be let in made it to where he didn't need to. That, right now, was not something he needed and was probably a dead giveaway to Draco. Snarling, he headed that way, muttering, “Just fucking great! This isn't what I need right now!” With a sigh, he yelled back, “Keep your damned fur on, I'm coming,” as he headed towards the door. While doing that, he grabbed the small medallion that Severus had made up for him to use in case of an emergency. Rubbing it would warm up Severus', letting him know that something had come up and he was needed. This situation was one he was certain would qualify as an emergency because all hell was about to break loose in the direction of Draco, then, once Sirius figured out why Draco was here, that direction as well. No way was he dealing with this whole thing on his own!

…::: smiles sweetly and tries not to cackle evilly :::... Please review before you shut the page.
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And Another Life Begins