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Backfire	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Sirius Views: 24217 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make not a knut off this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Chapter 3

One of the lessons Hank learned his first year in New York was to guard his personal space stringently. It was a rule he never forgot and held true to for all these years. After leaving school and getting his own place, it still held true. When he went into 'business' and his contact list grew for various areas, it would have been a boon to use his home for meet ups when it came to certain areas, but he didn't. Not only was he protecting himself from various bits, but he saw it as the adage of you don't shit where you eat. This all meant he had to work around dealing with the business end of his life another way as most were transactions he didn't want to do out in the open or in public places. For a time, he used vacant buildings, but it wasn't the best idea because of the element they attracted and how law enforcement, both Magical and Muggle, tended to watch them closely. Soon he switched to a more viable option; buying one of the abandoned buildings and turning it into something he could use.
When he began slipping in and out of the UK and doing business there, he did the same thing. Because he didn't deal with Muggles at all, he used the strategy he had in New York; buying an older place, renting part out for a legitimate reason while using part of the building for himself and what he needed. In the case of the UK, he owned a small building in Hogsmeade. The front was used for a small business which sold trinkets and other magical gimcrack to the populace. It wasn’t a business anyone would look twice at and was open long hours. The back though, using a concealed entrance, was where he tended to plenty of matters. His 'customers' were happy because it wouldn't look odd for them to be around and it was safe. He was happy with the arrangement because not only was he safe, there were plenty of protections around for him and he was close to various necessities, like the post office in case he had to mail something. It was win/win, for all of them.
Since putting out the word he was back and would be staying for a long time, business was booming. Like he learned long before when he first dipped his toes in this area, he stayed away from anything blatantly illegal. While what he did in some areas, like potions ingredients, would toe the line, he knew where said line was and wouldn't cross it. In some cases, it meant he had to sell whatever in pieces or the right doses and the customer would have to put it together. Oh, realistically he knew what they could use it for, such as making illegal recreational potions, but didn't actually know for sure as he just sold them the ingredients, nothing more. He stayed blissfully in the dark as to what they did with what they bought.
One of his biggest rules when it came to doing business was if you wanted to become a client, you needed two referrals from people he—well, trusted and were proven clients, not undercover whatever or people who caused problems. At the moment he actually wasn't accepting any, other than in extreme circumstances. He would wait a month or so before he took any more on. Because he was just settling in and getting everything situated, he wasn't going to add more stress. He would soon, but he needed to get a feel for plenty and do some checking before he added anyone.
Double checking his list as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk, Hank nodded. It was the second day he was truly back in business for a select few of his wealthier or better contacts. Since he hadn't been back more than two weeks, he was easing himself in. The ones he would see today, only four of them, were not only easy enough, but would bring in a great deal of money.
As he took a gander at the first name on his list, he gave an amused snort then said to Yama, who was perched in the corner looking malevolent and intimidating, “Lucius Malfoy is the first one in today. Want to bet he still has a thing for my arse and will try to coax me into becoming his toy boy again?” When he heard the normal hiss from his bird, he chuckled.
Malfoy was one who had come on early in the operation here in the UK. While he wasn’t always around, the man was loyal and showed up when he heard he was in the country. Of course, like most of his better clients, he referred him to a friend who gave him a cut of the profits when he wasn't, but Lucius liked dealing with him. And most of it had to do with Lucius wanted more than a client relationship with him. He tolerated the hints, but didn't bite. No chance he was ending up with someone like Lucius. As he was well aware, the man was a high ranking Death Eater. No way. He would let him hint, drool, whatever, and gather the info he could, but he wouldn't go there. No, too big of a risk of being drawn in.
After taking in what Lucius wanted, the typical ingredients for an illegal recreational potion the nobby set liked because of the high and increase in libido it caused, his brow drew down. The man also wanted to talk to him about taking on a client. While he wasn't taking any on yet, he would listen. If Lucius referred them they were safe, but he was wary because of who he was attached to. Unlike some, he would at least listen and see why before deciding.
When he finished looking over the list, he tossed it back in the open drawer then pulled out the small notebook there which held his appointment calendar and notes. He was mostly caught up, or so he thought, but there were some bits and bobs he needed to tend to. Since he wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing, he would refresh his memory. Flipping through the pages, he nodded. Nothing stressful. He would meet Dung tonight and set up the meeting the man wanted. Dung had come through with the sources he needed for supplies, so he would keep his word. Besides, he had looked into this Sirius Black and was willing to deal with him. All he had to do was stay alert.
When the chime rang to let him know lusty Lucius had arrived, he grinned a bit and shoved the book back in the drawer then spelled it shut. Leaning back in the chair, fingers laced behind his head, he waited to see how interesting this would end up. He would let the man dance his dance, get the info he could then press on. Lucius was a fount of plenty he needed and could use, so he would tolerate his advances. He just wouldn't let it go too far.

“Right, Hank has agreed to meet with you,” Dung told Sirius after taking a seat at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place. “I'll go along the first time to introduce you, then you're on your own. He's pleased with some contacts I set him up with when it comes to harder to get potions ingredients.”
“Fine,” Sirius nodded, though he was wary about this venture. “Anything I need to do? You said he won't give up anything for free.”
“This time, no,” Dung told him, sipping the beer Sirius passed him. “He won't give up everything, obviously, but will some. Even a bit of what Hank hears will give us plenty we can use. After this—you're on your own with him and can judge from there. He knows he'll be dealing with someone without the contacts I have, so it'll be up to you to decide how to work with him.”
“It best not to end up with him wanting anything too outrageous, Dung,” Sirius warned, shaking his head. “Not playing that game with anyone.”
“Not to worry,” Dung assured him. “If he wants something along those lines, he'll get in touch with me to relay it. Mostly he'll probably want information on whatever, nothing huge or secretive. And he doesn't pass it to the other side, from what I know. He just hoards it so he can use it for whatever and to keep himself safe. Judge for yourself there. At this point, you can give him plenty he wants. My understanding is he is gathering information on just what's going on, who to watch out for, the like. You can easily give up plenty to him. The more you do, the more you get. He's not been in the UK for a while, so he wants to know what's going on to protect himself. Nothing horrid there.”
“If that's all, I can easily tell him what he wants to know,” Sirius said with a slow nod. “Let's see what he says and I'll go from there.”
“Will leave it to you to set up whatever with him when you want to meet or he has something for you,” Dung told him, pleased. “Just be warned, he'll be bringing that damned scary arse bird of his with him. Not a fan of Yama myself, as he looks like he would gut you for a meal, but Hank insists when he meets someone new. Protection thing.” Then he went on to describe the feathered nightmare to Sirius. When he finished, he schooled, “Don't screw with Hank or that bird, trust me. It will go after you and normal spells don't work with it. Not sure the mix, but it's deadly.”
“Understood,” Sirius sighed with a nod. He could understand the why there, though. If this dude dealt in the shadier areas, he needed protection of some sort. The bird probably served as a bodyguard of sorts.
“What's this Hank like and what do you know about him so Sirius knows what he's dealing with?” Remus inquired, listening intently. In ventures like this, he liked to tag along so Sirius didn't find himself in a spot of danger. He couldn't, though, from the sound of it, so he wanted to ensure his oldest friend had everything he could to protect himself.
“He's in his early twenties, about the same age as Ron and Hermione, I think,” Dung told them. “A hard one, though. Didn't have an easy life, if I read the signs right. Always cautious and alert. He also takes in everything and remembers. And, a word of warning, don't cross him. He has no problem taking you apart if you screw with him or make aggressive moves. Let's face it, he deals with plenty of not nice people and knows what he's doing.”
“He's a smart one, too. Both street smart and book smart. Unlike Hermione, he doesn't show it off, but it's there. He'll blindside you with it when you least expect it. Despite that bit, he's a closed mouth kind, doesn't talk much about himself or what he knows. A bit comes out here and there, but not much. He's—well, headstrong and does whatever his own way. It's best to let him go about it how he wants or he shuts down. Mostly it's to protect himself from various bits. He's one who has his own system for plenty and it's not only to protect himself from those he deals with, but to make sure he doesn't end up looked at by many. It's a case of he does all he can to stay under the radar. And he's a cold one, trust me. It shows in his face and eyes. Don't know much of his past there, other than what I've said, so not sure where it comes from, but its there. And do not try to recruit him for anything. If you do, you'll not only face the end of his wand, something you never want to do, but he'll shut down and we won't get any help from him.”
“Understood,” Sirius nodded. It didn’t sound like anything he couldn't deal with and would keep the warnings in mind.
“Where does he usually meet with you?” Remus asked. If it was a very public place, he would sit and keep an eye out for his old friend until they were sure there wasn't a problem with this guy. While they might need the information he could pass, he didn't want Sirius in danger or going it alone for now.
“I meet him in a pub down Knockturn Alley,” Dung told them. Seeing the looks and hearing them sputter, he shook his head then pressed on, “That's where I meet him. He also uses the Hog's Head. Since I'm barred from there, we don't use it. This time, he'll meet you at the Leaky in one of the private parlors. You two can sort it from there when it comes to other places.”
“No way in hell am I going down Knockturn Alley,” Sirius snorted, shaking his head. “The Hog's Head might be fine since Aberforth will make sure I stay safe. It'd be odd for me to turn up there, though, and raise eyebrows. Even if I'm just seen, people will remember.”
“Why I said you two need to work it out for yourselves,” Dung assured him. “Hank will let you know what he can wiggle with.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Sirius groaned, leaning back and running both hands through his hair. While they wanted the information from this dude, he wasn't sure if it was worth it as they had no clue what he knew.
“Dung, are you sure he knows plenty we can use? This is—it's dangerous and I'm not sure if it's worth all this,” Remus sighed, a tad uncomfortable with the whole scenario.
“It's worth it, take my word for it,” Dung assured him with a vigorous nod. “You have no idea who some of Hank's clients are and what he gleans from them. We're talking not only those who lean towards the other side, but marked Death Eaters. He doesn't say who he deals with, but I've heard enough talk to know we're talking high ranking ones. Since he's not been back long, he's reconnecting and gathering information. Most of it I know is for himself to stay safe, but I'd bet my wand what he hears we desperately need.”
“Still not sure, but I'll try,” Sirius groaned.
“Any suggestion what Sirius can offer him to get him to talk? I know what you do, of course, and can only guess what you give up. We aren't going the route you are, Dung,” Remus grumbled, still not sure about this.
“Start with information,” Dung said, looking between the two. “Hank loves information, on everything, including rumors. With him being gone for so long, he'll want plenty to protect himself. That bit is quite easy to give up and not a problem. We all know plenty he not only needs, but will want.”
“Yeah, that bit I don't have a problem with,” Sirius agreed. “Let's see where it goes from there.”
“Will be honest, what I gave him to set this up wasn't big,” Dung shrugged. “He just wanted contacts for buying some harder to get potions ingredients. Nothing more. And intel, as he calls information on some bits. Nothing more. Managed it quite easily. He doesn't ever ask for anything out and out illegal and wants no part of those bits. Has a wariness of the law, he does. I know he won't ask it of you either.”
“As long as he keeps it above board, I'll manage,” Sirius said, heavy sigh to his voice. The things they did to get what they need any more…
“Gonna toss out there to not bring Albus name into anything. The man doesn't like him. He said he's never had contact with Albus, but made it clear he wants nothing to do with him either,” Dung tossed out there. “Best to not mention him if you can at all help it.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Sirius agreed. He could understand that bit, honestly. Plenty were backing away from Albus and plans the old man had over so much. The longer this stretched on with Albus fumbling, the worse it grew. From what he heard, Albus was driving so many away because he was trying to pull them into the mess and recruiting plenty who wanted to stay out of it. Even the Ministry was giving him a hard time over some bits. Yeah, he wasn't in most peoples good books anymore.
“Right,” Dung groaned, standing. “I have someone to see about some telescopes. Will be here tomorrow night at about eight so we can get there on time.” Then, with a nod and grin at the two, he left.
After watching Dung go, Remus sighed again. “I don't like this, Sirius. You can take care of yourself, we know this, but anyone associated with Dung is someone you need to stay really wary of. It's even worse that this is a bit you have to go it alone with.”
“Not liking it myself,” Sirius admitted, sipping his beer. “Let's see what the meeting brings and I'll decide from there. If the dude knows half of what Dung thinks he does, we need what he can give us. We'll see. I'll do all I can to stay safe, don't worry about me.”
“Can't help it,” Remus said, shaking his head. “Dung—we know what he's like. Some of his contacts are decidedly dangerous, in plenty of ways. I'm sure this one is as well.”
“Probably,” Sirius agreed. “We'll see and go from there. I'll wiggle what I can to meet somewhere I know is safe and won't end up dealing with the bad crowd. Don't worry.” He was, though. Anyone who associated with known Death Eaters was someone they needed to watch out for. It was a case of he'd wait and see then go from there with it. And hope like hell Dung knew what he was talking about.

Hank was pleased with the day when he flopped down on the settee after coming home. Not only had he made some serious money, but garnered plenty of intel he wanted. Now he had a better feel for what was going on in the UK and who to watch out for when it came to the nightmare playing out. Perfect.
Lusty Lucius had talked with him a bit, like normal. Though he couched it as something else, such as trying to recruit him, the real reason was attempting to persuade him into his bed. That was the only reason Hank tolerated the recruitment. Unlike what most saw Luci as, Hank viewed him in a different light. The man was obviously bisexual and not at all faithful to his wife, though you could tell he loved her a great deal. He was also the sort Hank saw a lot of; an older man wanting a younger piece of tail on the side to prove he could not only still attract those to shore up his ego over growing older, but to make himself feel better about so much. As he was in Lusty Luci's sights, the man was doing his best. While the bloke might stay closed mouthed with most people, he didn't with Hank, putting plenty out there in a bid to impress him. Hank didn't say a word and took it all in, but he sure as hell wasn't going to end up in bed with the man. It wasn't something he let on, though, and let Luci have at it. After all, he could use almost everything that came out of the man's mouth.
While Lucius picked up his normal and ordered more, the standard for him, Hank also let him talk him into taking on a new client despite the fact he wasn't planning on it yet. This was a big exception. Not only was the man a marked Death Eater, but a teacher at Hogwarts. From what he understood, Severus Snape needed what he could get his hands on for legit reasons. Fine with him and he didn't care. Another marked Death Eater would help plenty when it came to so much. He'd stay wary, of course, and scope out the situation, but he'd use what he could get and go from there.
Without moving from his nice comfortable position, he snagged his beer and took a deep drink. Giving a contented sigh, he leaned his head back, clutching the bottle so it didn't spill. Everything was moving along nicely. Good. Tomorrow he had the meeting with Dung and Sirius Black at the Leaky. While he did his research on the man, he was still wary. Anyone associated with Dung, especially if they were also close with Dumbledore as well, he needed to stay cautious around. He didn't trust any of the Order lot or Dung as far as he could throw a dragon. It was a case of he would see what he could get out of the venture and go from there.
Unlike Dung, he wouldn't go for what he could get as in stuff to help his 'business', more like intel he could use to not only stay safe, but learn what he could. He had no intention of allowing himself to end up drawn into this nightmare and wanted to know what was going on so he could haul arse out of here before the worst hit. Oh, he knew it was plenty bad at the moment, but he also realized it would get worse. Worse—he wasn't sticking around for worse. No chance. Self preservation and staying out of the middle of nightmares were big in his book. No chance he was ending up in this mess.
Downing the last of his beer, he vanished the bottle then groaned. Though he was tired, he was a bit too keyed up to go to bed yet. Besides, he liked to keep a regular schedule for it and it was earlier than normal. He decided a nice long, hot bath would be in order. Just to soak for a while. It always helped relax him. While he did, he was going to read over the journal he kept of his dreams for clues it might give him about his true identity. He didn't always remember everything he had when it came to his dreams, but did recall bits and pieces. Those might give him hints of where to look or slide other areas into place. It was worth a shot anyway.
With a loud groan, he stood and stretched then headed toward the bathroom. Yeah, a good soak would do him good. It would clear his thoughts before bed and his mind might focus on what he wanted to learn. Though he didn't count on that, what with some of what he lived through and the nightmares it still caused, he hoped. Besides, relaxing would do him good and curb the nightmares. He learned this trick long ago and went with it.
As he padded toward the bathroom, scratching his bare stomach under his shirt, he made sure his wand was with him. While he was safe in his home and he made sure it was as protected as he could manage, it was an old habit he wasn't willing to give up. Better safe than sorry, especially if he needed it someday.
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