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Preventative Measures	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 151582 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 30
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this work in perversion

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Chapter 9

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. Thanks, woman, you're the best!

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Thinking through all Sirius had just imparted to him on the whole nightmare, Harry had his head down, eyes shut. After several minutes of saying nothing, he reached up and rubbed his eyes then shook his head, muttering, “This is all bullshite.”

“No arguments from me there,” Sirius told him quietly, looking in the mirror.

“I don't know, Sirius, I really don't. Yeah, I like the idea of being homeschooled. That's a hell of a lot better than going back to that damned castle, that's for sure! I'm just not sure about the Veritaserum part is all. I mean, that's—I don't like it, alright?” Harry told him quietly. “Not to mention someone else getting with my solicitor without me being there and filling him in on all kinds of private shite. I mean, no offense intended here, but Lucius could say anything to him.”

Though both issues were related, they were something that had be to dealt with separately, so Sirius was going to handle it that way. “Let's start with Lucius first. Then we'll get with the other.” Seeing his godson nod, Sirius said, “One thing you need to remember here, Harry, is that Carthwaight is your solicitor. He answers to only you. Before he takes any step, he's going to walk you through what he wants to do. After all, you're the one that pays him. If you let Lucius get with him, you can make it clear you want to know what is said. After all, Lucius is doing it at your behest, no one else's. If he's how I heard, and his clients come first, before anything else, he's not going to have an issue with it. Lucius, right now, can get with him and discuss what's going on in a way you can't. All you have at this point is owls to do that. It's not a good idea with what's going on. Owls, as you well know, can be intercepted. With all the people over there watching you, I would bet my damned wand that part of what they are keeping an eye on is Hedwig and where she goes. Honestly? I don't think they would say too much if she was off to one of your friends, but your solicitor? Dumbledore is going to know in minutes.”

Not having thought of it that way, Harry's face hardened but he sighed and nodded. “Alright, got that. Yeah, maybe, this might work. I just—it rubs me wrong, yeah?”

“I completely understand,” Sirius told him firmly. “Like everything else with us; what you say goes here, Harry. We're not going to do something of this nature without your permission. All four of us that talked about this think it's a good idea. It gets you out of much of the mess. Umbridge, as I told you, is a fucking nightmare. She latches on to whoever is in power at the moment then brown-noses to the point her whole fucking head is covered in shite, doing whatever the hell they want her to. That's what she's doing with Fudge right now. She's the one that wrote up and pushed through a law not long ago that's made it all but impossible for Remus to get any kind of job. That's the kind of nasty piece of work she is. If she's in that castle at the behest of Fudge, you can only imagine what she's going to be like with you, though she doesn't get the whole story and how you feel about Dumbledore, as well as anyone else she sees as in line with Albus.”

“Yeah, remind me at some point in the future to thank that barmy old bastard for painting a target on me,” Harry snorted, shaking his head, looking angry.

“I know,” Sirius sighed, rubbing his forehead. “He had no right tossing your name into this. I think, maybe, he thought invoking your name to everyone would make them listen. It backfired, in a big way.” Not wanting to go down that road because Harry was already plenty upset, he said, quietly, “We're trying to protect you here and this is all we have, Harry. The cauldron is empty when it comes to us pulling something out of it. As one of them said, any plans to get out of this mess aren't there. Whatever we come up with will take months to work out. By then, all hell could be breaking loose for you. That we don't want. Being here with me and Remus will take you out of much of the shite. To do that, though, you're going to have to do some things, like the Veritaserum, that will make you uncomfortable and give up some very private information. It can work, Harry, it really can. If you do that, it's going to slap Dumbledore upside the head so hard, he's going to see stars. Because the realism is he thinks you're James and sees him as the great protector, doing what is best for you just like James did.”

“Yeah, well the crazy old goat needs to get over that idea real fast,” Harry snorted, looking at Sirius.

“And this will do that,” Sirius told him firmly. “Once he gets a dose of reality, he's going to wiggle to get back in your good graces. It won't work, we know it, but this is something Remus, Severus and I can really push for to get him to do as a way to go about it. Especially with Umbridge coming.” Stopping, Sirius looked down, trying to think of a way to word what he wanted to say that it wouldn't anger his godson anymore than he already was. After a couple minutes, he told him, “Harry, Albus doesn't see you how you really are. He doesn't. He is seeing what he wants to see, not the reality. What he thinks is you're going to turn out to be the great hero with no problems in the end. We know better. The more he keeps playing with you, the worse this is getting and he doesn't see that. After all, he thinks he's smarter than the rest of us and knows best because of that. Since that's what he's going by, he's not seeing what you're like or how what he's doing is affecting you.”

“No shite,” Harry sighed, shaking his head. Lowering his head, he shut his eyes and clutched onto Elliot, holding him. Thinking over what all was said, he could see how they came up with it and that it could work. However, he didn't like it. After a couple minutes of being quiet, he asked, “How much personal shite do I have to give up? I mean, some I don't mind, really, but others? No.”

“That's going to be between you and your solicitor,” Sirius told him. “The part that needs to come out is about Albus and why you don't like him.”

Giving a dry chuckle, Harry shook his head, “We don't have enough time to go through all the damned reasons for that one.”

“He'll make time,” Sirius told him firmly. “Tell them, all of them, in detail. The more you do that, the better shot you have, Harry. Everyone, from what I'm seeing, aside from the four of us you know about, seem to think you're like everyone else when it comes to Albus. They don't get it.”

“Because they don't listen to me!” Harry hissed, raising his head and looking at Sirius. That was a touchy spot with him. No one, anywhere, other than Sirius and Snape seemed to want to hear anything he had to say on the topic. “I'm sick of that shite! Don't tell me I don't feel some way, that I’m misinterpreting something, that it isn't that bad or don't mean what I say! That's all I get from everyone! I'm sick of that shite, honestly.”

For the first time, Sirius was slightly taken aback by something Harry said. He knew his godson had a temper and seen part of it before, but not like this. There was fury and rage there that he hadn't encountered before. Nor was he sure how to handle it. “Explain that to me, Harry,” he said as gently as he could.

Huffing, lowering his head and resting it on top of Elliot's, feeling the stuffed dragon cling to him, he held it close. Shutting his eyes, he said, tone slightly weary, “Like the Dursley's—no one wants to believe anything I say about that.”

“What kind of things?” Sirius prodded, hoping his godson would stay calm enough to explain it.

“All I get from anyone, even those that have had to deal with them, is an almost identical line to what Dumbledore spouts; that they might not be the most loving family but they care for me deep down. No, Sirius, they don't. They don't give a shite about me and I sure as hell don't give a shite about them! They don't believe me when I say the last part either.”

Lifting his eyes, he looked at the mirror then said, “I'm going to be the first to admit that what I’m about to say is bad, alright? I know this. The truth is, though, I don't give a shite about them. The blood wards around the house? Don't care about them. Dumbledore and a couple others have made it a point to say they not only protect me, but the last of my family and that's the reason I really need to stay. Know what? Let them come down. As long as I'm somewhere safe, I don't care! Let them deal with the nutjob on their own. After all, anyone magical is nothing but a freak and not something they want any part of. They feel that way? Let them deal with it. They don't want me here anymore than I want to be here. All I am is free labor and someone to blame for something. That's always the way it's been. It's a bit better now since they are shite scared of me and what I might be able to do, but it's still not the best. All I want from them is what I want from anyone else; to be left alone. That won't ever happen. The second I step foot in this damned house, it's like the abomination is back and they can't leave me alone. I hate that shite. If they would stay away from me, I'd be fine. I can deal with the things like not feeding me. I'm taking care of that myself actually, so it's not a problem. They just won't leave me alone and it always has to be there. Hell, Vernon hasn't once in my whole life called me by my name. I'm either boy or freak. It's well known he thinks I’m nothing but a waste of space.”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Sirius looked down, not sure what to say about any of that. He, honestly, didn't know how bad things were at the Dursley's because no one really said much. Nor did Harry talk about them much, other than to say he didn't like it there. He did know that they were seriously on his godson's shitelist and he hated them. He had taken the line so many used and thought there was something there that Harry cared about, at the very least the family connection. That didn't appear to be the way though. And if what Harry was saying was factual, something he was sure was the case, he could understand it. Lifting his eyes, he looked at his godson. Though Harry was looking down again, hugging on Elliot, he could see enough of his face not to like it. There was a weary expression there, no doubt about it, but there was more than that. There was a deep anger reflected. That part is what bothered him. This was something he understood. After all, he had dealt with the same thing when it came to his family. The only difference with him was he had James and his family which meant he always had somewhere to go during the summer. Harry didn't have that out. What he had was Albus being his parole officer then dictating where he could and couldn't go plus when he could do it. Yeah, that warranted plenty of anger. It would have in him, that's for damned sure!

Shaking his head, he said, softly, “Harry—I really don't know what to say. I mean, I believe you, no doubt there, and get it. Nor is it right. There—shite—I don't know what to do here. This needs to come out though. Your solicitor needs to know about that. Tell him. It'll help.”

“No one will listen, even if I say it in court under Veritaserum. They'll just tell me I don't mean it again or spin it some other way,” Harry snorted shaking his head. Shifting around, he flopped back and propped himself up against the headboard. Clutching Elliot tightly to him, he said, “It doesn't matter. Come next summer, if we can't get something worked out, it won't be a problem. Dumbledore can kiss my arse after that and fight his own damned war.”

Not liking the sound of that at all, Sirius looked at him then asked, quietly, “What do you mean by that?”

“I had my solicitor check. At sixteen I can withdraw from Hogwarts. As I have plenty of money and places to stay on my own, I can file for emancipation then will get it. I plan to get the hell out of Britain. You'll come with, of course, but I’m not staying. I can do something or other in another country to finish school then get job training from there. I'm just not staying here.” Harry told him, looking into the mirror.

Looking at his godson, Sirius felt a creeping dread of some kind. He wasn't sure what brought it on, really. Harry was well within his rights to do what he was planning and it was apparent that he had worked on this idea for some time. Hell, he didn't blame him for doing that either! It did sound like a good idea to him if they couldn’t come up with another arrangement. His godson would probably do a lot better on his own than he was now. There was something else there, a niggling, that there was a great deal Harry wasn't telling him. It was that part that was bothering him. Nor did he know a way to ask without bringing up all kinds of things, not to mention Harry probably getting angrier than he already was.

Filing that away to think about, Sirius nodded, “Sounds like a plan and a good one. Let's see what we can do with this first. Let's face it, if you're with me, it's going to be a lot better for you. Nor will you have to put up with the shite you do now. Then we can get on working out something to get us all the hell out of this nightmare.” Looking into the mirror, he said, softly, “Just give this a chance, Harry. It can work. I know you don't like it. Shite, I wouldn't either! But it's the best we have. Get with Carthwaight and tell him just what you can't talk about. Then go from there. Everything about Albus, not to mention everyone else, can come in. Let it go. I bet you feel better if you do. They can pretend to be in denial all they want over what is said, but the fact is that it'll be the complete truth and there will be no denying it because of the Veritaserum. Smack them upside the head with it. Once you're here, we'll work on something to get us out. It's the best we have. It's a damned sight better than going back to Hogwarts and dropping into the nightmare we know is coming.”

Looking down, both arms wrapped around Elliot, Harry thought it over. Though it was fine to have plans for the following year, something he kept honing anyway, the truth was he needed something to deal with this one. If it was going as Sirius had said, getting through this year was going to be bad, really bad, worse than anything he had up until now. No, that wasn't good. Sighing, shutting his eyes, he rested his chin on top of Elliot's head and thought about it. After several minutes, he nodded slightly, “Alright, I'll do it. Both parts. Just—look, let Lucius know it's not personal, but I want to know what is said.”

Somewhat relieved, Sirius nodded. “Good. We can work with this, Harry. And Lucius won't have a problem with it. He'll understand. Hell, you tell him that! Let's grab those books and tell him what you decided. I imagine you're going to have to get hold of Carthwaight anyway to let him know this isn't a trick of some kind. Nor do I know how to go about that.” Seeing his godson nod, though still looking a whole lot less than pleased about the whole mess, he said, quietly, “You have every right in the world to be angry, Harry. I don't blame you one damned bit! And if we knew another way to go about this, we would do it. I want to protect your arse as much as I can and stave off the hell we know is coming at the castle in the fall. This—it's all there is.”

“I know,” Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “At least you lot are trying. That's a hell of a lot more than what anyone else is doing. They just feed me the line that boils down to Dumbledore knows best and we need to go by what he says.” Leaning over, he grabbed the book Lucius gave him and a quill.

“Yeah, well, let them follow him down the road to hell. We're not going there,” Sirius told him firmly. Grabbing his book, he snagged his quill and started the conversation with Lucius, adding Harry into it. Now they just had to wait for the elder Malfoy to answer. “It'll work out, Harry. In the end, it will, one way or another.”

Nodding, saying nothing, he just looked at the open book, waiting for Lucius to answer.

It took a couple minutes, but Lucius replied. Quickly, Sirius penned, 'Harry and I talked about what we came up with today. He's agreed, but wants to make something clear; that whatever you tell Carthwaight, he wants to hear. Work for you, Lucius?'

'I take no issue with that,' Lucius wrote back, nodding to himself, pleased. 'In fact, that's something I would insist happening. He needs to know what it said.' Walking over, he sat on a chair in his room. When the signal for the book had gone off, he was just getting ready to lie down and read for a while. So, this was good timing. 'I understand why you want to know, Harry, and take no issue. This is your solicitor, you have a right to know what I say to him on your behest.'

'Nothing personal there, I just want to know,' Harry wrote. He didn't like any of this, no doubt there, but he decided he could work with it.

'It's not and I know that,' Lucius wrote back. 'I would insist on the same proviso myself. Not an issue. However, I do need you to send him an owl soonest to let him know someone is coming on your behalf.'

'If they are watching her, they're going to know I’m talking to him,' Harry penned back.

“They won't,” Sirius told him, looking in the mirror. “Night time, like this late, is the one time they don't have anyone around. You're good.” Quickly, he wrote that out to Lucius.

'Good, yes, send her tonight,' Lucius wrote. 'However, we need to come up with a code phrase for him so he knows I'm truly there at your bidding. He will give me the benefit of the doubt because of an established relationship, however, this will tell him for certain and he won't be so on guard. Think of something odd to pass along, not a common phrase.'

Thinking it over, trying to come up with something, Harry finally scribbled out, 'Tell him we shared a Mt. Dew tonight. I'll include that with Hedwig when she gets back from hunting.'

Looking at the phrase, Lucius blinked then his forehead puckered slightly as he tried to decipher what that meant. Rubbing one of his temples with the hand holding the quill, he was completely lost. Finally, he asked, 'What the bloody hell is Mt. Dew and how does one share a mountain?'

For the first time that night, Harry actually grinned. Quickly, he explained, 'It's a Muggle soft drink. I don't think most are going to know what that is unless they were raised by Muggles.'

Laughing, Sirius told his godson, “No shite, Harry! Good phrase, though!”

Grinning a little bigger, Harry nodded, “I thought so.”

'Yes, that works well. Muggles have very strange names for food and drinks,' Lucius wrote, shaking his head. Relaxing, he was pleased Sirius managed to get the young man to agree. He doubted it was easy, but he had done it. That was good. Quickly, he changed topics and began to talk to the two of them.

About midnight, just after Harry went to bed, Sirius wandered downstairs. He knew Severus had planned to be around for a while that night to look up some things in the library unrelated to what they were doing. He was hoping the man was still around because he wanted to talk to him.

Wandering into the kitchen, he found the man stacking up the books he had been looking through, appearing to be tired. Taking a seat across from him after grabbing a beer, he asked, “Remus asleep?”

Nodding, Severus looked at him, leaning back, “He went to bed a couple hours ago.”

“Good,” Sirius nodded, taking a drink of his beer. Sitting it down, he looked at the table then said, quietly, “It was you I wanted to talk to, alone.”

Arching an eyebrow, Severus looked at him. Though the two of them were getting along far better than in the past, that didn't tend to lead to long heart-felt talks between them. “Do I want to ask what about? Or should I wait to be surprised and ready my wand?”

Shaking his head, Sirius said, “About Harry.” Stopping, he looked down then said, quietly, “For the first time tonight, I got to see a real show of his temper and it wasn't pleasant. It was rather unnerving actually and gives me a bad feeling.”

Face taking on a serious cast, Severus nodded. He had seen Harry's temper more than once and it wasn't pretty to behold. “What brought it on? And how bad did it get?”

“The Dursley's. It started out with a talk about Dumbledore, but it quickly moved on to them. And it wasn't directed at me, but—something's not right here. He said a lot of shite that I didn't know--,” stopping, he looked at Severus then said, quietly, “It's—there is more, Severus, I just don't know what. That's what's giving me the bad feeling. I thought, maybe, you might know more.”

Sighing, rubbing his eyes, Severus nodded. “His odious family is a very touchy subject with him. How much help I'll be here, I don't know. He doesn't talk about them much. What I do know, I don't like.”

“He hates them. And I mean hates. I know they don't treat him well and that it's worse than what Dumbledore says, but there is something there giving me a bad feeling, Severus. Any idea what it is?” Sirius asked, gazing at him.

“No,” Severus told him, looking down. “I—he won't talk to anyone about them. He says the basics, nothing more. I agree, though, there is something rotten there. The anger that is directed at them, but especially Vernon, is very telling. I just don't have an inkling of what could be behind it.”

Taking another sip of his beer then picking at the label, Sirius shook his head and said, very quietly, “I don't like this.”

“Did he give any kind of hints as to what it could be? Anything telling that—I don't know—we might be able to decipher?” Severus asked.

“Just a lot of rage,” Sirius told him, looking up. “He's planning on leaving that house next year when he turns sixteen and letting the wards fall. Nor does he care what happens to them. That doesn't come from just 'not being the most loving of families'. He actually came out and said that they could deal with You-Know-Who on their own. That he doesn't give a shite. Severus, that's bad. That doesn't come from just neglect and not seeming to care about him.”

Resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands, Severus looked at the table, thinking that over. Lifting his head after a couple minutes, he looked up at the ceiling and shut his eyes. Groaning, he said, “I don't know. That's—no, it's not good and it wouldn't all come from just small things. Even indifference wouldn't bring that on. There is something really rotten there and I don't even want to ponder what it might be.” Opening his eyes, he looked at Sirius and asked, “He has a plan to get out? Not just something vague?”

“Very specific,” Sirius told him firmly. Quickly, he gave a rundown of what Harry told him. Looking at the man, he said, “It's workable, very workable, and a good idea. I just don't like that he has it. That's telling me that there is something really bad there.”

Shutting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Severus tried to think. After a couple minutes, he shook his head, “I don't know. Even with me, he's not said too much about them. What he does say is so vague that I can't suss out if there is anything telling.”

Shaking his head, Sirius sighed, “The only thing that sticks out for me is he says no one believes him when he says things about the Dursley's or that they try to tell him he doesn't feel that way, minimizes or whatever. That's the only thing odd. The rest he was specific about. You know, I get that the topic tonight was touchy and he got very tetchy about it, but what came of it blindsided me. Harry—when it comes to talking to me, is good about not losing his temper. He tends to stay calm and we talk it out. This is the first time he didn't.”

Stiffening up as he thought that over, Severus looked directly at Black then said, “He said no one believes him or minimizes it? Are you sure about that?”

“Very sure,” Sirius told him with a firm nod.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Severus looked down, a more dour look on his face than normal. “That—it's telling. He's told someone something in the past, probably more than once, and nothing was done. What it is, I don't know.”

Looking at the Potions Master, Sirius felt an icy chill dance down his back. “That's not good. What do you think it is?”

“I don't know, I really don't. All I have are guesses. Those—I won't impart those. Let me see what I can figure out before I say anything. I'll—I have a Pensive. I'm going to pull some memories and see if I can't sort through some hints that may be there. However, I don't think that anger is there for no reason.”

“It's not anger, Severus, it's rage,” Sirius told him softly. “I've seen anger before from Harry. This went beyond that.”

Looking even more grim, Severus sighed. “Give me a couple days to see what I can't dig up. We'll talk again then. For now, leave it. Don't go fishing or asking. It's doubtful he'll react well if you do. Concentrate on the plans we have in place and go with that. When, or if, I can come up with anything, I'll get with you.”

Looking intently at Snape, Sirius nodded slowly. This left him with a bad feeling. However, he would wait to see what the man could come up with.

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Preventative Measures