Teamwork

Author's Notes:Teamwork is the sequel to the extended version of Snakes and Lions. If you read the original version of S&L, read the additional chapters (45-53) before starting this. Expect romance, action, drama, and a lot of sneaking around as the boys try to get their houses in line.

I'm posting this as a WIP, so once I catch up, expect a wait between chapters. Thanks to sociofemme for beta work.

Canon Compliancy: Through Goblet of Fire

1 -- Not enough

Harry had only been back at the Dursley's for four days, and he was already sick of it. Dudley seemed to become stupider and more belligerent every summer. This year, school had managed to take a bit of weight off him, but that only made him a slightly more dangerous fighter, because it now took him a minute or two to run out of breath. He was still wide enough to trap Harry in the hall. Harry avoided him as much as possible, dodged when necessary, and reminded himself that he would be able to use magic at the end of the month.

"I told you, I don't know who you're talking about!"

Uncle Vernon's bellow brought Harry out of his reverie, and he darted to the top of the stairs to look though the railing supports at the front door. Professor Lupin was standing there, dressed quite competently as a Muggle, with Snuffles on a lead. The dog surged forward as he spotted Harry.

"Snuffles!" Remus scolded, after recovering his balance. "Behave."

"Get that filthy animal off my property!

Harry came down the stairs. "Hi, Professor Lupin!" he said brightly.

"Professor?" Uncle Vernon roared.

"Now, Harry!" Lupin reproved, removing one hand from the lead to wag a finger playfully at Harry. "I haven't been a professor in years. You know --"

Sirius, taking advantage of his handler's laxity, launched himself at Harry, who staggered back against the hall table from the weight of the dog's paws on his shoulders.

"Yes, Snuffles, I'm happy to see you too. Now get down."

The dog sat, tongue lolling out happily. Uncle Vernon was ranting at Lupin about not being able to keep his mongrel under control, and ordering him off the property without giving him space to leave. Finally, Lupin gave up on his spurts of words abating and turned away from him. He tugged on the lead. "Come along, Harry."

"Harry is not going anywhere with some vagabond who waltzes in off the street --"

"His godfather sent me." Lupin smiled thinly as Vernon fell completely silent. "And he will come with me."

Harry was laughing as they climbed into a waiting car -- an old grey banger whose mere presence must have given Uncle Vernon fits. Lupin, to his surprise, climbed into the driver's seat.

"Get in," he said cheerily. "Don't worry about the lack of belts; it has less confining safety features."

As they turned the corner, the dog changed to a man, who grinned back at Harry.

"Just say 'charms,' Moony."

"Not when he has the door open!"

Harry laughed. "I knew what he meant, Sirius."

They drove along an assortment of roads, through a day that Harry had suddenly noticed was sunny and fresh. He sat in the center of the back seat, and leaned forward to talk between them.

"This car is perfect! Uncle Vernon must have hated it!"

Remus laughed. He seemed to be in one of his careless moods today. "He wasn't terribly pleased with my dog either," he said. "Especially when he got loose."

"A pity I didn't have time to chew on anything," Sirius volunteered, and they all laughed.

"I take it you don't hate me, then?" Harry said hopefully, as Remus pulled into a parking space alongside a high wall.

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"Of course not, Harry--"

"However," Remus continued for Sirius, but in a much firmer tone, "we do need to talk."

His wand was out, but rather than casting a privacy spell, it shot out a net of bluish light at Sirius. The man's features wavered, and became rounder and more open, and his black curls shrunk back towards his skull and turned blond. Harry stared.

"How did--"

"It's a glamor, Harry," the stranger who was Sirius said. "There are ways to undo it, but someone would have to try. We should be safe enough for a couple of hours."

Harry nodded, but Remus looked back at him with a soft, speculative sound. Finally, his turned his wand on Harry. "You too," he said.

Harry felt a wash of disorientation, but it was nothing like the discomfort of a portkey. "Um ... okay?" he tried, as the world steadied.

The man who was Sirius shook his head. "No. I'm not going to know what any of his expressions mean. Can't we just take him back to our place, Moony?"

Remus frowned. "No. Too likely--"

"The Shrieking Shack?" Harry suggested. Remus grimaced, but Sirius laughed.

"That's what it always comes to, isn't it?"

Remus had to smile at that, even it was a bit ragged at the edges. "So it does. Hm. Or perhaps our place via the Shrieking Shack. Can you take three Side-Along Apparations, Harry? I'd like to muddy our tracks a bit."

"Sure."

Harry wouldn't have refused for the world, but afterwards, he thought it was just as well that he hadn't known what he was agreeing to. Remus seized his arm, and after a moment of horrible pressure, they were all three sprawled on the floor of the ramshackle house. As soon as Harry stood, Remus took his arm again, and Harry found himself in a dirty alley, stumbling in the dirty rain. When Sirius grabbed him, Harry thought it was just to keep him from falling, but then he was being compressed again, and then he was in the front garden of a tiny stone cottage.

"Switching the apparator slows tracking," Sirius volunteered, with a grin. "Remus will lay a trail that would make a fox green with envy, and then he'll join us." He led the way in the door, ducking to clear the lintel, and into a little room.

Even with the bright sunshine outside, the room was dark, but Sirius, with a flick of his wand, set a cheery fire burning in the grate, and hung a kettle over the flames. With a little more concentration, he removed their disguises. "Welcome to The Den -- Darkmoon Den, if you ever need to Floo call. It's an old croft from before the Clearances, but we've expanded on it a bit -- mostly underground, where it doesn't show. Three rooms, and the outhouse is quite cushy. Would you like some milk? Only hours from the cow!"

Harry found that a bit strange to contemplate, but he nodded, and soon found himself with a glass of milk that tasted like the milk at Hogwarts or the Burrow -- good, but not at all like milk at the Dursley's. He looked up and found Sirius drinking some as well.

"Do wizards do something to milk?"

Sirius shrugged. "Preservative spells, sometimes, but not on this, because we get it fresh each morning. Muggles cook it, though, from what Remus says."

"So this is what it tastes like really?"

"I suppose it does!"

At that moment, the kettle began to whistle, and Remus, as if summoned by the sound, popped into the space outside the window. "Ah, good," he said, as he walked in the door. "You started tea."

When the tea was brewed, and cups of it had taken the place of the glasses, Remus sat, and Harry's nervousness returned full force. It was cozy and pleasant to be with the two of them, but they still hadn't said anything of import. In the time he'd had alone with Sirius, they had talked about milk, for heaven's sake!

"Er, so...." Sirius began.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Um... where do you want to start?"

"Well, first...." Sirius looked rather lost. "Er, you thought I might be upset that you kissed a boy?"

"Oh." Harry felt his face heating. "Well, I didn't realize, then, that the wizard-raised students weren't as bothered by it, mostly, and--" His voice caught.

Remus shifted his teacup and cleared his throat slightly. When Harry looked at him, he raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously at him. "I gather we haven't been too obvious as a couple, then?"

"Wha--?" Harry's jaw dropped. He looked over at Sirius who was changing from rolling his eyes to laughing.

"Remus!" he choked.

"What?" Remus asked innocently. "Might as well just get it out there."

"You're, um ...." Harry scrambled for a word. "... involved?"

"Since about your age," Sirius said, and at Remus's huff, added airily, "with a few minor interruptions, of course."

"But..." Harry stared at them in turn. He'd known they were close, of course; that had been obvious from the start. But lovers? "Why didn't you come here right away, then? Once you escaped?"

They both looked unhappy at that.

"Well," Sirius offered, "this was a place the Aurors would look, right?"

"We'd been living together when Sirius first went to Azkaban," Remus explained. "I was raided rather regularly. After I left Hogwarts and returned here, when it was known that Sirius Black had eluded capture near my location...." He raised his arms in a helpless shrug. "Well. I think it was six times in the first month." He took a sip of his tea. "It died down eventually."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Also, though ... well, I wasn't sure I'd be welcome."

Harry looked at them wildly. "Why not?"

"Well, I had ... lied to him."

Remus reached out a hand over the table, and Sirius took it in a tight hold. Remus nodded. "He had. And it was painful in a way that darkened a significant portion of my life. However...." He shrugged. "I understand what he was trying to accomplish. I was certainly angry, but it was not difficult to forgive."

"But when I didn't come by...."

"I decided he wasn't interested in revisiting that relationship."

Sirius grinned. "Fortunately, old Dumbledore eventually stuck his nose into it."

With a reproving look, Remus tsked. "Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore did place us back into daily contact. Without that, I might have spent the rest of my life assuming he was no longer interested, now that I was no longer an attractive young man--"

"Because I'm so untouched by the years!" Sirius exclaimed, winking at Harry.

"-- or that Azkaban had deadened too much of his feeling."

"Because I'm so calm."

Remus smiled. "His positive feelings, then."

Listening to them together, Harry wasn't sure how he'd missed their connection. Of course.... "I haven't seen much of you together."

Remus nodded. "Understood. I was actually less surprised than Sirius was that you didn't know."

"It was a bit upsetting," Sirius confessed, "but only in the sense of making it obvious how little we know each other." At Harry's quick nod, Sirius reached across to set a hand briefly on his shoulder. "We'll have to work on that," he said sincerely.

"As much as is possible while you are a fugitive," Remus amended. "Which may not be much. We can't risk this often, Harry."

"However, we've intelligence that there's a big Death Eater meeting going on ri--"

"Enough!" Remus said sharply. "The letter."

Sirius sent him a look that promised argument later, but he did refocus. "The letter. Yes. You said there were ... other things that might upset me?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Yeah," he admitted. His tea had gone cold, and topped it up to warm it. "Um ... can we start with the one I think you shouldn't be angry about? I mean, you probably will be, but you shouldn't."

Sirius and Remus shared another one of those looks.

"Yes, Harry?" Remus prompted. Harry clenched his fingers around the handle of the teacup.

"He's a Slytherin. The other boy, I mean."

Again, that look.

"Malfoy," Sirius said darkly, but he didn't seem surprised.

"Mm. We'd discussed that, and thought him a likely candidate."

"You can't trust him, Harry!"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I do, actually."

"He's a Malfoy!"

"Yeah, but...." Harry tried to rein in the threads of wild magic that he could feel coalescing around him. "He's left. He's going to testify against his father."

"Then he thinks you're a better bet, that's all that means."

"Sirius! His father -- Lucius -- is trying to disinherit him! He's risking a lot more than he's comfortable with, and he's worked with Hermione, and he saved my life!"

"Did he?" Remus asked, as if it was light gossip.

"When I flew off to fight Bellatrix, he didn't need to follow me! Slytherins aren't expected to do things like that!"

"Ah."

Sirius had sat back, brow creased in puzzlement, but Remus nodded and poured more tea. "He loves you, then."

"Slytherins don't fall in love, Moony."

"On the contrary," Remus countered evenly. "Everyone falls in love. A Slytherin, however, would need to be in order to do something so selfless." He looked over at Sirius. "Come on, Padfoot. You have to have a touch of sympathy for a young man who's trying to gain some independence from his vile family."

Sirius grimaced. "Enough of that." He turned to Harry. "You're clearly arse over teakettle for the Malfoy boy, and we're not likely to change your mind until the hormones subside. So, what else?"

"Okay." Carefully, Harry let go of the teacup. That was as good as he was likely to get about Draco, and better than he'd expected. "I've ... I've studied a bit-- a few spells -- well, one, mainly -- of Dark Arts."

"WHAT!"

"Not from Draco," Harry added quickly. "Draco was shocked. It was on my own." Snape wasn't something he felt required to confess to, especially with his godfather already upset.

"Oh dear," Remus said. "Well. Which, if you will tell us? And does Dumbledore know?"

"He knows," Harry said quietly. "I, uh, told him. I'd been practicing on snakes -- thinking of Nagini -- and I used the Imperius curse on the dragon, the one Bellatrix was riding."

"Harry," Remus said softly.

"Sorry."

"You damn well should be!" Sirius exclaimed. "There'll be no more of that, now, understand me? Your dad would be horrified -- his own son using Unforgiveables!"

"Sorry," Harry repeated. "I won't again -- unless it is Nagini, and I need to. I wouldn't on a person."

Sirius sat back with a huff, half-mollified. "You shouldn't at all," he said, but less angrily, now.

Harry nodded, but didn't promise anything.

"Very well," Remus said, still sounding greatly displeased. "Is that all you have to tell us?"

"Yeah." Harry looked up and smiled tentatively. "Enough, isn't it?"

"Quite. However...." He let Harry sweat for a few breaths before continuing. "There is another issue that Albus did see fit to inform your godfather about ... some matter of showing up drunk to Professor McGonagall's office?"

"Eh, Moony!" Sirius tried to wave that off, but Remus was having none of it.

"Harry?"

"Professor Dumbledore gave me points for it," Harry exclaimed angrily. "For Bellatrix. I was trying to lose them as fast as possible, and she'd been so angry before--" He looked away. There was silence.

Lightly, Remus cleared his throat. "Well. That's a better reason than I had expected."

"I'm all right, okay? Really."

"I hear you." Remus did not agree, he noticed. "However, it is your godfather's job to worry about these things, and if he won't, I'll do it for him."

Harry, amused despite himself, turned. "I hear you," he repeated back. "After all, that's what partners are for, right?"

"Of course," Remus agreed. Sirius smirked.

"Among other things."

When Harry got home, he was not surprised to have Uncle Vernon glower at him as he came through the door.

"Have a good visit, boy?" he asked, managing to make the question vaguely threatening.

"Brilliant," Harry said. "Saw my godfather and everything."

Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you go live with him, hm?" he asked shrewdly. "If he's your guardian, you shouldn't be sopping off us."

"Yeah, but he's a fugitive," Harry reminded him. "So he's not my guardian, although he should've been. And his partner is a werewolf, and they're--."

"That's ENOUGH!"

Harry tried not to smirk at the predictable bellow. "Okay. I'll just go up to my room then, right?"

With a disgusted expression, Uncle Vernon motioned him at the stairs. "And stay there!" he called, when Harry was half-way up the stairs. "You're not getting dinner tonight!"

Harry kept going. He had a greasy pork pie and an apple balancing his jacket pockets, and he didn't want to risk his uncle seeing his smile.

When he got to his room, he found a barn owl sitting on the far side of the room from Hedwig, who was sitting puffed out atop her cage. He immediately called for Susara. Although he'd never heard of a messenger owl attacking a pet, he couldn't keep from worrying about it.

"Here, master," she hissed sleepily, and then, belatedly, raised her head. "You are happy?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Happy."

While she was waking, in her slow snake way, he crossed to the strange owl. Immediately, he recognized the writing on the letter -- it was from Draco! The owl shifted impatiently from foot to foot while he got it a treat, and then flew off clutching it, still untasted, in his talons, apparently unwilling to eat under the glare of a territorial snowy owl.

"Sorry about being gone so long, Hedwig," Harry said soothingly, although he wasn't really. He gave her a treat, too, and then sat down with the letter.

Dear Harry,

Hogwarts is dull without any other students here, and especially without you. We could have such fun if you were here! Like over the winter holidays, but better, because now it's light all the time, and warm some days. I was lying in the grove by the lake, this morning, in a patch of sun, dreaming about making love to you there.

This is the first time I've ever wanted summer to be over as soon as it began. I spend my mornings alone, and in the afternoons, I help Snape or visit with the quiris. Horsyr is leaving soon, and I dread losing them. I've been spying on the staff and wheedling Snape, but I haven't found out a thing about the new Defense professor. I'm not entirely sure that Dumbledore has found one. At least the mystery provides me with some diversion.

Let me know about life with your least-favorite Muggles!

Love,

Draco

Harry smiled at the memories of December, but his breath caught at the thought of lying in the sun with Draco, slowly baring his pale skin to the golden light. He'd never be able to write anything that sexy, he was certain; he hoped Draco didn't expect it. Still, he fetched parchment and a quill immediately and began to write.

Dear Draco,

The Dursleys are as horrible as ever, but today was brilliant. Professor Lupin showed up and bullied Uncle Vernon into letting me leave with him. It turns out I needn't have worried about S. disapproving of me having a boyfriend; the two of them were together from sometime their sixth year until S. went to my parents died. I can tell you more about it when I see you -- it isn't really suitable for a letter.

That really was as detailed as he could get, he thought. It would be too dangerous to let on that he had seen Sirius, or that Lupin and Sirius were still involved.

It's been the one bright spot so far. Dudley still thinks I'm a punching bag. Fortunately, he's easy to outrun. Even if I were at the Burrow someplace fun, though, I'd still miss you.

The grove sounds I'd like to be in the grove with you.

Love,

Harry

As Hedwig carried the letter off into the fading light, Harry reflected that he still hadn't written to Ron, or Ron to him. He was unwilling to be first, though of course, Ron probably was too. He'd give it until his birthday, he decided, and he emptied his pockets, and lay down on his bed to picture the grove by the lake.