A/N: This is sort of filler, to show how the hierarchy in the different gangs work and build up the tension for the next chapter, when things really get cracking. It might be boring but this chapter is pretty important to the set-up, okay? Thanks to everyone who reviewed, added me as favorite author/story/story alert.
Disclaimer: Does it look like I'm J.K. Rowling? *don't. just don't answer that*
Reviews too, would be helpful to know what I'm dong wrong or right.
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Draco was not an ass-crack of dawn sort of person. Anyone could testify to the monster that was born when Draco had not been acquainted with his hot tub, hair-gel, various styling products, body wash and a lethal amount of coffee. So why he was up at two o'clock with a gun and tranquilizer darts, face smeared with camouflage was anyone's guess. Except his father's. Draco snarled softly under his breath. Just because his father liked to think of him as one of Slytherin's most competent operatives didn't mean he had to be woken up this early.
For god's sake, Snape was more than good and he seemed to have harbored a strong dislike for Harry. Draco though, couldn't care less. He had only seen several pictures and glanced at the other boy's file to make sure he didn't accidentally take someone else as hostage. Draco wondered briefly what would happen if he took Sirius Black as hostage. That name, now, was infamous in the Slytherin clan. Everyone had heard of, seen, or was subjected to 'Dumbledore's dog'. He was a hand-to-hand combat specialist, a former M16 agent, a shrewd decision maker and an all around expert of firearms. Lucius was still scrambling around to find a man of a caliber like Sirius, pun intended. For now, it was some fat toad of a man whom Draco considered gifted if he knew the business end of a rifle from the butt end. Everyone knew the horror stories on what Sirius did and could do. But Draco didn't want to dwell on that now. No good jinxing the mission.
He carefully stepped into the van. Knowing Marcus, the stupid idiot would have tried to rig the thing up with so many explosives that a wrong step would bring the mission to a fiery end. Sometimes, he hated having an ex-explosives maker as a chauffeur and get-away driver.
"You know the place Marcus or do I have to tell you?"
"Numba fou', Pra-vet Dra-ave, Little Whingin', Surr-ay", Marcus intoned, deadpan.
"Must you be so plebian?" Draco sighed, outwardly appearing annoyed, but inwardly anticipating the game they always played.
"And you patrician?"
"My name is not Patricia."
And so the ride went on.
No one noticed a small blonde girl curled up underneath the elaborate shrubbery, wide eyes taking everything in.
Abra cada bra abra cada bra abra cada bra abra cada brada
The Day Before
Sirius blinked at Dumbledore. This was unreal. "So Slytherin wants to…what now?"
Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head. "They want to draw up a ceasefire agreement."
"Wait…you're telling me that they're taking the initiative for once?" Sirius' voice betrayed his disbelief.
"Yes. As this sounds awfully suspicious, we will not tempt the devil. I will appear to take it face value. You however…"
"I play the dog." Sirius finished for him, his eyes already ablaze with ideas.
"Be careful out there Sirius. You know there are few men like you out there. You're a son to me." The old man's eyes watched Sirius' reaction to this confession carefully. There was a measured calculation to him. Sirius didn't let that disturb him and bowed, muttering, "I'm honored you think of me that way." His voice and expression betrayed nothing, or at least nothing that Dumbledore was hoping to see. He steeped his fingers and sighed.
"Well, there is nothing else to say. Keep your eyes open." Sirius nodded and turned. He walked to the door, several files in hand when Dumbledore's voice broke through again.
"Oh! And Sirius, if you wouldn't mind…? I would like you to pick up some bags of lemon drops for me, please."
Sirius smiled. That's what he had been waiting for.
"Constant vigilance! We need to arm ourselves! CONSTANT VIGILANCE, LUPIN!!!" A near frothing at the mouth Moody was banging on the door to Remus' study. The door cracked open just barely enough for Moody to see a large hazel eye and the beginnings of a smirk. "You bellowed?"
"Open up, it's about the boy," Moody muttered gruffly. The door was quickly opened.
"Hey, Mad-Eye, what's up?" Harry greeted. He always got a kick out of seeing the paranoid and more often then not hilarious man.
"You, boy! Come with me! Lupin…just…" With a strangled noise, he waved off the soft-spoken man and gripping Harry by the ear, dragged him through the elaborate hallways of Hogwarts Manor. Harry, honestly, had no clue why it was called Hogwarts. Something that Dumbledore thought up, most definitely. It was a mark of respect and deference that no one even hinted at changing the name of the manor. Or maybe it was fear. Dumbledore was a frightening man when he wanted to be. Harry had seen what Dumbledore had done to those two Hufflepuff spies, Diggory and Abbot. He shuddered at the memory.
With one final, painful yank, Moody neatly deposited Harry in front of a door that he had only seen once before in his life. "Moody…?"
"Shut yer mouth, boy and knock!" Harry was all too willing to do so. Moody was having a cranky day.
"Enter." A prim, high voice came over the loudspeakers. The door buzzed and let out a brief, high screech for a minute before the door opened by itself. A quick and powerful blast of air followed after a full-body scan. After the security was done, the inner doors opened to make way for a very old-world style office with not much in personals. A thin, severe looking woman was sitting at the desk typing furiously. Her head did not raise to meet them, however a hand rose to wave at them.
"I'll jus' be leavin' the boy with you, ma'am." With a huff, Moody turned and exited. The air was still and silent after his departure. Harry cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Just have a seat, Mr. Potter. I will be with you in a while."
Harry nodded and took a seat. It was hard and cold. It allowed him to remember the last time and first time he had been here.
Harry was three, his eyes still bright with wonder. His small hand clutched onto Dumbledore's pant leg. "Uh…where we going?" Harry had asked. Dumbledore turned to him with a smile and murmured, "We are going to see a truly marvelous cat." Marvelous she was. Harry had never seen so many papers on one desk before, stacks at least two feet high, and the woman's face was worried and pinched with severe glasses hanging on for dear life at the tip of her nose. Harry had wanted to jump and play on all the papers. A dim memory of him mother, a blur of red jumping on a pile of leaves surfaced. He giggled. The lady had stopped whatever she was doing to turn and look at the boy. "Did you just laugh?" She asked her tone of genuine puzzlement. Harry nodded. "Lighten up, Minerva! You are only young once!" Dumbledore boomed, his laugh joining with Harry's high pitched, infectious squeal. The lady-Minerva-shook her head and murmured something about 'being past her prime already'.
They were there to talk about Harry's future. All he remembered was loud bangs and screams and his mother shoving him in a cupboard and then more screaming and banging and then, silence. Heavy footsteps and the front door slamming. Then, silence again.
Then, Sirius had stepped from the shadows of the office and offered to take the child under his wing, with Remus tutoring him in whatever he needed to learn. Dumbledore was wary of giving the child to Sirius. "Your life is dangerous. How do you know the child will be safe with you?" Dumbledore intoned gravely.
"How do you know he'll be safe with you?" Sirius quickly retorted. Minerva gasped. Dumbledore stood still for a moment, his eyes probing Sirius. Harry wondered why the room was now tense, waiting for something. Sirius' head was held high and his eyes were daring Dumbledore to do something. Harry liked those dark black eyes.
Dumbledore nodded.
Harry came back to the present, to find Minerva standing in front of him, impatiently holding a steaming cup of something. It smelled like tea. And nothing else. Sirius had taught him that. He gratefully took the cup and Minerva made a sigh of relief and strode to her desk.
"Mr. Potter, you don't know why you're here do you?"
Harry shook his head.
"Sirius has evidence to believe that the Slytherin family is planning to launch a strike against us. Against you, Harry."
"What!?"
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Snape's fist tightened in front of Lucius Malfoy. He barely could manage giving the man a stiff bow before launching straight into his rant. "How could you let a boy like Draco expose himself to danger like that? Do you know what men like Sirius Black and 'Diablo' Shacklebolt are capable of doing?! You're throwing that boy to the wolves when you had me here. I can bring you that Potter whelp without delay. Why your son? Why my charge? Are you trying to doom this-"
"That…is quite enough Severus. The boy is trained. You would do well to hold your tongue in front of me. You remember your roots, no?" Lucius leaned over, a predatory look on his face. One long, cold finger reached out to slowly prop Snape's trembling face up. He licked his lips slowly, the finger moving down his throat, feeling the soft flesh below it. Snape sucked in a shaky breath.
"Yes…my pet. Hold your tongue. You may be as good bodyguard, but there are many bodyguards. I actually have half a mind to…" Lucius purposefully let his voice trail off, his eyes still watching Severus. Abruptly, the unsettling look left Lucius' face and he sat back down, a rather pleased smile on his face.
"Leave. Wait for Draco and don't challenge me again."
"Yes, sir."
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To say Harry was annoyed was probably an understatement. He was raging mad that Slytherin would dare to break the treaty that they themselves were formalizing. He was tossing and turning, incapable of sleep. At least, for tonight. He gritted his teeth, remembering McGonagall's voice. "Harry, keep up this naiveté and you'll find yourself dead. You should know that Slytherin would sooner sell their mother's out than risk their necks."
God, how he hated those low-lying, double crossing bastards. And god, how he wanted to go outside. If just for a few minutes, to his special place. Harry scoffed the moment he thought those words. Special place, save me, I'm turning into Ginny. He sighed, annoyed. He still hadn't found a way to break off with her and with her Irish thug of a family. Only Ron was bearable, but the rest were a bloodthirsty and wiolent pack. He didn't want break it off if with Ginny meant a few weeks in ICU and saline drip Kool-aids a la Weasley. He knew how vindictive Ginny herself could be; he'd helped her slash and total Michael Corner's car, then place death threats in the windows of their house. But god was that girl irritating. She and her family thought they hit it rich with Harry. Well, sucks for those no-good gold diggers. Harry didn't care anymore. And Sirius was backing him up all the way.
And then, the fiasco with Slytherin. His thoughts returned to it. He needed to think in his place again. Making up his mind, he placed the semi under his jacket and swung out the window. Sirius would kill him but hey, the grounds were secure. Mad-Eye's own men were all out there patrolling the parameters. The only thing he needed to worry about was disturbing the guards and he had more than enough practice to avoid them.
Crawling on all fours, he reached the small, barren grove with the ground cleared away after Sirius had been practicing explosives with him. He could think here.
Back in the house, his bedside clocked glowed 2:53 AM.
Draco rechecked his gun. It wouldn't do for it to jam.