Harry potter and the breeding darkness

Chapter 58

Flopping onto the couch in the cottage Sirius lived in, Harry asked, "What's up?" Sirius had sent an elf for him, saying there was something important they needed to discuss. That had him slightly on edge. So far, Sirius was dealing with what was going on fine. You could tell he had issues with a few that were around, like Bella, but was dealing. He was trying to keep his godfather away from those that might set him off, but there were times they had to interact. When they did, he kept it as short as possible. From what he could tell, there didn't seem to be issues with that.

"This," Sirius sighed as he handed over a letter he had gotten earlier in the day. "That came for me when I was coming back from having a pint down at the pub in the village. It caught me just before I came though the wards. You need to see it."Taking the letter, brow furrowed, Harry wondered what was going on. A quick read through made him groan. Tossing it on the coffee table, he shook his head. "The old goat is just trying to get in my good graces again. I'm guessing that he knows I've not signed up to stay in the castle over break.""My thoughts as well," Sirius nodded. Quietly, he added, "This is one I'm not sure what to do with. On one hand, if I don't respond and fall for it, he's going to get suspicious. On the other, I can't face that, Harry. No more. That house—I wish it would burn to the ground. I never want to step foot back in it as long as I live."Sighing, Harry nodded. "I understand completely. I'm not sure what to do here either, honestly. There's no doubt this is just another of his manipulations of all of us. Because I'm sure if I take him up on the offer, the house will end up packed to the rafters with all the people he thinks are closest to me so he gets in my good graces by ensuring I have a happy Christmas. That's not something I want to face either, honestly. We have plans over Yule, that's for sure, but I wanted to relax for a while. This year has been supremely stressful. I couldn't do that at Grimmauld Place." Shaking his head, he leaned it back, shutting his eyes, trying to think what to do."Harry, I vote we don't fall for this," Sirius told him. "I get it's going to look odd, but I don't like being manipulated. I get you have appearances to keep up and to make it look like nothing suspicious is going on, but this—I flat out don't like it." Quietly, he added, "Remus is backing away too. He said that plainly. From what he said, he's planning on staying right where he is. Oh, he doesn't want to come to your side, he said that. I think, maybe, he would reconsider if Fenrir wasn't involved, but he's done with Dumbledore as well. That's all there is to it. And he's staying away. The old man has tried getting in touch with him as well to lure him back for the hols. Which tells me he's plotting something more than just getting back in your good graces.""It does," Harry said, straightening up, trying to think. As he had delivered the letter from Remus to Sirius a couple of days ago, he knew how his godfather knew what he did. This was working out well. It wouldn't seem odd to anyone that Remus was writing to him, so the letter was transfigured into something else then he would undo it and pass it along. The same would go with Sirius sending them back. Shaking his head after pondering it, he said, "Let me get with Tom and see what he says. I'm going with your thought of I don't want to do this. It's—bad news. That's all there is to it. I don't want to fall into anything that old man is cooking up.""Me either," Sirius said honestly. "Look, I don't like how Tom is going about what he's doing or some of who are involved, but at least he's straight up about it. You know what you're dealing with there. Albus—I'm sick of that shite, all there is to it. This sneaking around, meddling, manipulating, all of it, is no better that anything Tom has done. And I want no part of it. Even if it's just over the hols.""I agree," Harry nodded. "Let's see what Tom says and go from there. This is one—I don't know, Sirius. I really don't.""Let me know what he says this afternoon before we have that meeting with him," Sirius said. "I'm going to have a letter for you to send out when you get back to school anyway."Figuring the letter was to Remus, Harry nodded. "No problem. I'll send it out." Groaning, he said, "Let me take this letter to Tom and see what he says. Then I'll get with you to work out whatever. It's—I just don't know, Sirius.""It's a cluster fuck, I get that," Sirius snorted. "Just—make it clear I don't want to be there, Harry. I know he would think that the two of us would jump at the chance, but I don't want to do this. Even to help you keep up your cover.""And I'll make sure he knows that as well," Harry nodded. Standing, he said, "I'll let you know what he thinks later and how we should go about this." Seeing his godfather nod, Harry walked out, mentally snarling at the old goat for putting them in this position.