Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Through the Veil and Back Again	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 77508 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 13
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (though someone could gift me a few of the men in it and I wouldn't complain) and make no money off of this.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Chapter 16

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi, who I couldn't work without anymore. Thanks, Tenchi!

Just a reminder of what's on my profile; reviews complaining or whinging about the lack o' sex in stories will get deleted. If you want a smut-filled romp, you need to find another story to read.

Still very groggy and slightly wobbly when he woke up, Harry managed to slide out of bed then stagger to the bathroom. Whatever Snape had given him the night before seemed to really have some lasting effects because, though not 'stoned' like he was, he was feeling seriously disconnected. Coming back in after tending to his needs and splashing some water on his face to try to get rid of the last vestiges of the haze, he flopped into a chair, rubbing his eyes. He was hungry, that's for sure, but he didn't think going down the stairs right now was a good idea as he wasn't sure he wouldn't end up falling down them. No, it was best to wait until he was a little more with it.
Just as his stomach started to growl and, though he wasn't feeling much steadier, he was thinking about attempting to brave the stairs, the door to the bedroom opened. Looking up, he nodded when he saw Sirius. Then he grinned when he saw his godfather carrying a plate of food. Leaning back in the chair, he said, “Good. I wasn't sure about getting down the stairs without ending up with carpet burn on my face or breaking something.”
Laughing, Sirius said, “Yeah, I kind of thought that might be the case, so I brought you up some breakfast.” Walking over and summoning a small table, he sat the food down for Harry then conjured a chair. Plopping in it, he said, “I figured you'd be out of it from whatever it was Snape gave you since it's like three in the afternoon and you were still out cold the last time I checked on you.”
“It's that late already?” Harry asked after taking a bite of eggs.
“It is,” Sirius chuckled, relaxing. “And, 'cause you were out, they are actually forcing me to help research things, Harry! This is not right.”
Laughing at that, shaking his head, Harry asked, “What are you looking up?”
“I was helping Lucius look up partially activating the bond that's there with runes. Not sure what the hell I was looking at with that shite, but I was reading descriptions. Remus, Cissy and Draco are holed up in the library seeing what they can find on the Serpentine Seer bit.”
“Find anything to help?” Harry asked while digging into his food.
“A couple maybes with the runes bit. The other—not so far from what I've heard,” Sirius shook his head. “If they can't find anything, Remus is going to hit up a couple bookstores he knows to see what he can scrounge. We're not sure if we can find anything, honestly.”
Sighing, Harry nodded. As this whole thing had been so strange, he wasn't getting his hopes up on finding anything to help or prepare for what was coming.
Leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, clasping his hands between them, Sirius looked at Harry then asked, softly, “How much do you know about what is going on? Like with Snape. What you came across with last night blindsided all of us, including him, I'm sure.”
Putting his fork down and looking at his plate, Harry sighed. Shaking his head, he said, “I know plenty. There's no way for me to stop picking up some of it and I really don't want to know any of it. Like we've talked about since this mess started; I'll tell you if it's something that puts us in danger. Nothing I know does, even with Snape. It's just some really personal stuff, Sirius. I won't talk about it. Like I wouldn’t talk with anyone about that girl that only liked you for Padfoot. I wouldn't want anyone telling some of the really personal things about me, so I won't about anyone else.” Thinking it over, he said, “Last night—I didn't mean to say what I did aloud. I thought I was telling you telepathically.”
“Yeah, whatever he gave you shut something down, that's for damned sure,” Sirius told him, grinning and chuckling. Stopping, he said, tone serious, “I understand completely. I just want your promise that if you do find something that even borders on us being in danger, you'll say something.”
“I will,” Harry told him with a firm nod. “I'll be honest here that I know they aren't telling us everything, though I'm not sure what's missing, but I don't think it's anything that puts us in danger. At least that's the feeling I'm getting.”
Rubbing his face then smoothing down his mustache, Sirius shook his head before imparting quietly, “And I don't know how to go about finding out unless you go fishing for it, something I wouldn't ask you to do. I do believe what they said last night and Lucius is right in that he's involved in this mess so if they were up to something rotten, he would just get hurt in the process.”
“I agree with that,” Harry told him with a nod. “It'll come out, that I'm sure.” Stopping, he looked down then thought about something that had been niggling him. Sighing, he said, “I need to talk to you and Remus alone at some point today. There is something really strange here and I'm not sure what it is or what it could mean.”
Intrigued, Sirius asked, “What does it relate to?”
“Some of the junk I'm picking up from Narcissa and Draco. The same with Snape. I won't go into detail, obviously, but it's—odd.” Harry tired to explain though not really sure how to.
“What does it deal with? Can you explain that part?”
Thinking it over, Harry sighed, not sure how to get it across. Finally, after a minute or so, he said, “It's like I’m picking up stuff related to the same topic. Well, except for Snape. I think that part was more the shields than anything, and what was behind it. The rest, it's all related in some way, like I’m getting chunks of the same picture from all of them.” Stopping, he shrugged and shook his head, “I don't know how to explain it, I really don't.”
Rubbing his chin, Sirius looked at him then asked, “Can you tell me about what topic without giving away too much?”
Looking at his godfather, Harry said, sighing, “It relates to what you got last night from Narcissa. I won't say more than that. It's really strange. And there's all kinds of stuff I don't get about it, but that's almost like a running theme with what I'm picking up, other than Snape. I explained that though.”
“I assume you're getting more than what just happened last night, right?”
“Yes,” Harry said firmly with a nod.
Thinking it over, Sirius said, tone distracted, “How about this; I grab Lucius and see what he thinks. Would you say that he knows about all of what you're getting?”
Pondering that for a minute, Harry then said, “Yeah, I think he does. Maybe not some of the details, but the overall he does. At least I think so.”
“Okay, that might work,” Sirius told him. “The three of us can talk alone about the topic, in generalities anyway, and get his take on what he might think or what to do here. You think that could work?”
“It might. It's something I can work with anyway.” Harry told him, a little relieved.
“Hang on, let me go snag Lucius. He's spread out all over the kitchen table going through books,” Sirius said, standing.

Settling in, looking at the other two, Lucius asked, “What's this about? Sirius wasn't real clear about it when he grabbed me.”
“It's some of what Harry is picking up. He's noticing a pattern about it when it comes to just what he is getting. As you do know about it, since it's coming from Cissy and Draco, we were wondering your thoughts on what we should do here or how to go about it to see if we can't figure it out,” Sirius explained, looking between Lucius and Harry.
Liking that Sirius came to get him, Lucius inquired, “What is the theme?”
“It's related to the vision that bled off to Sirius last night,” Harry explained. “I'm getting a lot that relates to that chunk from different angles and times. In fact, it's almost all I'm picking up from Draco and Narcissa. Even the one thing that seems very odd to me that I keep hearing about is something I have a feeling relates as well.”
Rubbing a hand over his mouth, glancing between the two, Lucius thought that over. After a couple minutes, he said, tone soft, “If I give you permission to speak about all of it with us, will you? I know the whole situation there and did going into the marriage. It's nothing that's going to blindside me. The only thing I don't know about is something I'm sure you won't impart; some of the more intimate moments between Narcissa and Regulus. Those I have no desire to know as they are personal.”
Looking at Harry, Sirius waited to see what his godson had to say.
Staring at the floor, Harry thought it over then asked, “Narcissa isn't going to be upset if I talk this over with you, is she?”
“I very much doubt it,” Lucius told him with a shake of his head. “If it makes you feel better, I can go get her and she can sit here while you do it. She's not going to be upset and may be able to help us figure out just how it relates then what it might point to.”
“Yeah, I think that would make me more comfortable here,” Harry nodded, looking at him. “It's from her I'm getting so much of it, well, and Draco. If she says fine, that's good with me.”
Standing, Lucius said, “I'll go get her. Between the four of us, we should be able to figure this out. Or, at the very least, get pointed in the right direction.” Seeing the two nod, he went to go get his wife.
Reaching over and ruffling Harry's hair, Sirius said, “This might help. How? That I don't know, but it might give us some information we need here, desperately.”
“It might,” Harry told him. “I just don't like asking this of someone, you know? It's personal.”
“If they say fine, as it's from them, it's alright,” Sirius schooled gently.
“I know. It just circles back to the whole it's invading someone's privacy thing,” Harry shrugged.
“Nothing you can help,” Sirius told him firmly. “If there is a way to stop it, none of us have found it. We just have to work with what we have now is all. This might help, Harry.”
“I hope, I really do cause I can't deal with much more,” Harry said honestly. “Last night was bad. That goblet--” trailing off, he shuddered. Sighing, he then added, “I knew there was something I didn't like about that thing before I picked it up.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sirius inquired, looking intrigued.
“I don't know, I really don't. I just know there was something about it I didn't like. It was giving me a feeling. That's the only way I can describe it.” Shrugging, Harry looked at him, hoping he got it.
“Next time you encounter that feeling, I think you need to listen to it, Harry,” Sirius told him gently. “Remus mentioned that you develop, or can, a way to tell what might set it off. That feeling might be what that means. Even if it isn't, it can't hurt. If you get bad vibes from something, don't touch it. That might help you from going through what you did last night.”
Not having thought about that, Harry nodded vigorously. “Alright, I'll pay closer attention.”
“I don't think it's going to stop it completely,” Sirius sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on his godson's knee then giving it a squeeze. “Some of it is going to happen, I'm sure. However, it might help you avoid the really horrid stuff.” Stopping, he grinned, then said, trying to lighten the mood, “'Cause I'm sure I can speak for Lucius on this too when I say we don't want to go through that again!” Hearing Harry chuckle and seeing a small grin, he then said, “Snape brought over some gloves for you to wear that might help as well. It's supposed to block the worst of the effects. I think you're going to have to get used to wearing those as well until you get a feel for what won't set it off.” Looking up when the door opened, he then waited to see what was coming.
Leading Narcissa in, Lucius shut the door then conjured a chair for his wife. Taking a seat himself, he said, “I've filled her in on what is going on. She's more than willing to let you talk about it.”

“It's fine,” she said, smiling at Harry, folding her hands in her lap. “What do you mean by it's all related?”
“With most people, like the Weasleys and Remus, I pick up one 'stream' of something at a time, meaning it's about one topic and coherent in the order it comes. That 'stream' seems to be different each time they come around or at different times of the day and I start picking up from them again. The topics don’t relate in any way other than it's from them from their perspective. With you and Draco, those 'streams' all seem to circle back to the same thing; Regulus, at least in some way and form, from different times. Draco was throwing me with that because I was getting stuff about his father and it was confusing because he didn't seem to be meaning Lucius. That I understand now, so the pattern started to fit when I was thinking about it. The only odd part I’m picking up is something I was getting from him before school was even out. It doesn't seem to relate, but I have a feeling it does,” Harry explained the best he could without giving a great amount of details. Looking around, he said, “It's very odd. I mean, of all the things I could be picking up, even the mundane stuff I get from others, I'm not. It all seems to be related here. Even with Snape, other than what I now know was from his shields.”
Taking that in and nodding, looking to both Sirius and Lucius, Narcissa asked, “Can you tell me that odd thing? It might help slide part of it together somehow. Or is it something very personal?”
“It's not personal,” Harry said with a shake of his head. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed, “I just don't—you know, it's not mine to tell as I'm picking it up from him.”
“I give you permission,” Narcissa told him softly, smiling. “You're not doing it on purpose and you can't shut it off. From what I've been told, if you could, you would have. If it's not personal, he's not going to get upset.”
Thinking that over, Harry finally said, “A locket. I was getting stuff about the locket even before school was out. It's just—grown since then. I don't know how it relates, I just have a feeling it does. And why this particular topic is all I'm getting from both of you when that doesn't match what I do from everyone else, I don't know. I can't explain it.”
Eyes wide, Narcissa stiffened up then looked at Lucius, who appeared stunned as well. Quietly, looking between Harry and Sirius, she said, “It is related. The locket we're trying to find is something Regulus wanted Draco to have to help protect him. It's in this house from what we know. It was supposed to go to him on his fifteenth birthday. We just don't know where it is.”
“Then it is related,” Harry sighed, shaking his head. “Why am I only getting something that is related from you lot when I don't from anyone else?”
“I don't know,” Lucius said, shaking his head, looking around. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Do either of you know where a locket might be? We've looked and can't find it. Draco wants it of course, for obvious reasons. He doesn't have much from his father and would like something.”
“I don't know,” Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. “When we cleaned last year, we threw a lot of crap out. I don't know what all went, honestly. Some of it was so dark and tainted that we didn't check too closely with it as there were real issues with people getting hurt or could be from some of it. Other things are still around and stored. I just don't know where it might be. I don't think I ever saw a locket anywhere. Molly and the kids did most of the cleaning. Next time she's around, let me see if I can't find a way to ask her to check with them. I'll come up with something there.” Stopping, he looked at Narcissa then said gently, “I have some pictures and other things of Regulus'. Draco can have them. It's not much, but it’s something.”
“He would appreciate them,” Narcissa told him with a smile. “Anything at all. There isn't much I have as we had to be so careful.”
“Our families wouldn’t have minded, despite how close you were related, Cissy,” Sirius told her softly, shaking his head. “It's been done before, you know that.”
“They would have this time,” Narcissa sighed, looking down, plucking at her robes. “Mother was concerned about genetic problems because of Bella. You know what she's like. It directly relates to the inter marriages with the Blacks. She was dead set on me marrying someone not so closely related. Bella—with what she dealt with when it came to her, it was something that scared her.” Shaking her head, she imparted, “I was so worried when I found out I was pregnant because of that. Thankfully, Draco is fine.”
Not having thought about Bella, Sirius nodded. “Got it. Yeah, I can understand that.”
Thinking over what was said, Lucius shook his head. “I don't know here. There has to be a reason you are only picking up on things that are related when you're not anything else. If I have everyone's permission, I'll send this to Severus. He might be able to see something we can't as he's not so involved all the time.”
Seeing Harry nod, Sirius said, “Go ahead. I don't see a reason for this.”
“Why don't we go downstairs, grab Remus and Draco then talk it out. Maybe those two can see something we can't.” Narcissa told everyone, looking around.
“As long as it doesn't bother you, I can,” Harry said, nodding.
“It's fine,” she told him with a soft smile. “You're being general enough no one is going to be bothered by what's said. Besides, the biggest part that was a secret, isn't anymore. Which, honestly, isn't as horrible to deal with as I thought it would be.”
“Okay, we can do this,” Sirius said with a nod, standing.

Sitting at the table after having walked everyone through what he explained in the bedroom, Harry looked around and waited. Lucius had sent an elf over to Snape and he had come over, wanting more information. Remus was looking down at the table, thinking. Draco, though being there and having listened, was more interested in some of the pictures that Sirius had given him of his father.
Rubbing a couple fingers over his chin, Severus asked, tone distracted, looking down, “Is the same pattern of related 'streams', as you call it, holding with me right now as well? Or are you picking up something different, if anything at all?”
“It's the same and related,” Harry said, nodding.
Taking that in, the Potions Master nodded, not sure what to think.
“Let me ask this, Harry; is there one thing that you're picking up more often than others? Like a specific topic or something?” Remus asked. “Or is it a case of it's just related and different?”
Without having to even think about it, Harry said, “The locket. That is one that keeps coming up. The rest doesn't. I don't even think most of what I'm getting is repeated. It's just like different pieces of the same puzzle that aren't sliding together.” Glancing at Draco, who had looked up, he said, quietly, “That I was even getting from Draco before I left school. It's continued on since and I get some of it from Narcissa as well now.”
“Then the locket is the key to something here,” Severus said, clasping his hands on the table in front of him.
“How? Does it mean the locket itself or just the vision of it?” Sirius asked.
“I don't know,” Severus told him with a shake of his head. “I would think the locket itself, but how it might be related, I don't know.”
Thinking it over, drumming his fingers on the table, Remus then asked, tone slightly distracted, “Last night with that prophecy—didn't you say something about an artifact relating to it somehow?”
Eyes widening, Severus fumbled in his robe for the copy of the prophecy he had the forethought to bring with him. Looking at it, he nodded, “There is. It's about the powers emerging and manifesting with an artifact. The locket could be that.”
“Okay, before anyone goes any further here; what does the locket look like? Do you know? It's not going to do any of us any good to get all wet and happy thinking we have something figured out when we can't find the object in question. It might just be a dead end anyway,” Sirius said, looking around.
“Black's right,” Severus agreed. “I have a feeling this relates in a big way if it's a recurring theme. To figure it out, we have to find the thing first.” Looking at Narcissa, he asked, “Do you know what you're looking for?”
“I have a drawing of it,” she said, standing. “I'll go get it.” Hurrying off, she went to find it.
Shaking his head, Sirius said, “With all the crap that was thrown out last year, don't count on the thing being here unless it was stored somewhere or in a place Molly didn't get to. Everything went we could get our hands on.”
Looking up, brow furrowed, Draco said, softly, “Mother said Kreacher was supposed to be protecting it and wouldn't have let it get tossed out.”
Shaking his head, looking at Draco, Sirius said gently, “He tried to save some things, but they got tossed anyway. Some of it was just completely off the wall, like my parents' clothes. He's—well, he's not right anymore. You need to remember that he was alone in this house taking orders from my mother's painting for over a decade. Very little of what he does anymore makes any form of sense, even for a house elf.”
Sighing, Draco nodded, but looked slightly dejected. “Could we ask him?”
“He wouldn't answer any of us, Draco,” Severus told him with a shake of his head. “All of us are considered traitors of one sort or another. We would just get a rant of some kind from him, nothing more. I don't know a way to question him that would get us any answers either.”
Not liking that, Draco slumped. “I understand.”
Coming back in, Narcissa made copies of the drawing she had and passed it around. Sitting down, she said, “That's all I have.”
Taking it, Harry looked at the drawing, brow furrowed, then said, quietly, “I've seen it.” Stopping, he looked up then around before saying, “Last year when we were cleaning. It was in the cabinet with the jar that looked like it was full of blood and the powder that made your hand swell, Sirius.”
Remembering that bit, Sirius nodded then said, quietly, “Everything in there was thrown out. It was all dangerous. Every bit of it.” Seeing the stricken look on Cissy's face, he said, shaking his head, “I'm sorry. It was all dangerous. We chucked the lot of it.”
Shaking her head, looking down, Narcissa sighed, “Is there any chance that it might have been saved?”
“Kreacher was trying to get a lot of that stuff. Hermione said that he managed with a few things. Where they might be, I don't know,” Harry shrugged. Looking at Draco, he added, “If it was something he was supposed to protect, it might have been something he grabbed. Hermione said he did and that she didn't have the heart to stop him. You know her.”
Blowing out a breath, Sirius shook his head, “If he did, I have no idea where he would stash it either. If it was really important and he wanted it protected, there are a million places in this house that he could have put it and we would never find it. There are even hidden rooms. Those I don't know where they all are either. I know a couple of them, but there are more. Where to even start looking is beyond me.”
Holding up his hand, Lucius asked, “Harry, do you pick up anything at all from the elves? Or are they blank like Sirius and I?”
“Some,” Harry told him. Sighing, he said, “It's not the same though. It's—I don't know how to describe it. What I get from them is nothing like I get from people. It's so disjointed and bizarre that I can't make heads or tails of it. If I had to focus on that, I would end up with a headache trying to figure it out.”
“How about this; pay attention when Kreacher is around to see what you can find out from him. I don't know if we can risk you touching him to see if you can get it that way.”
“No touching!” Harry said in an almost panicked voice, shaking his head. “I don't want to chance that. I can't take anymore!”
“Alright,” Lucius soothed, patting the young man on the back. “We understand that. Let's see what we can work out to get you around Kreacher more. I don't want to chance asking him directly as I doubt we would get the truth or anything useful. If he doesn't know what we're looking for, he's not going to be on guard about it.”
“With as much as he lurks and skulks around, I'm never sure where he is to even try that,” Sirius said.
“Let me get with my elves and see what we can do there,” Narcissa interjected. “They may have a way to keep track of him and see where he is so we can try a chance meeting, or something that looks like it.”
Liking what he was hearing, Severus said, “While doing that, try hunting for the locket yourselves to see if you can't turn it up by sheer persistence. It may be a dead end when it's found, but it's best to rule it out.” Stopping, he looked between Narcissa and Potter then added, softening his tone, “If you're agreeable, Narcissa, get with Mr. Potter alone and have him walk you through what he's picked up from you. Maybe in doing that you can help him slide together what he's getting and something might trigger from it. Between the two of you, you may be able to figure out if there is more of a pattern here than what's already been shown. It might help.”
“I'll do that,” Narcissa told him firmly, giving Harry a small smile.
“If you figure out anything, let us know.” Severus told them. “On my end, let me see if I can find some kind of tracking spell that might work to locate the locket. I don't think the most standard or basic ones would work, like a Point Me. There are others. I might be able to come up with something to help with this. Lupin, you and Draco keep going with the Seer search in the library. Between all of us, we might be able to put more together that can help work this out or give at least some idea of what to expect.”
“We'll take that task on,” Remus said with a smile, reaching out to pat Draco on the shoulder. Chuckling, he said, “We've learned some very interesting things already. They aren't useful, but they are interesting.”
Grinning a little, Draco nodded, “Oh yes. Like about the so-called Psychic Wars. That was a right riot to read about.”
Giving an amused snort at the visions such a 'war' brought on, Severus said, shaking his head, “At least it's a learning experience. Anyway—I'll go back to looking things up on my end and see what I can find on my own.” Looking around, he asked, “Anything else?” Seeing several shakes of heads, he said, “I'll go then and get back to it.” Standing, he gave a nod then swept out.
Looking determined, Narcissa said, “Let's see what we can do here.”
“Which means I have to help with research again,” Sirius sighed dejectedly. Hearing an amused chuckle from Harry, he gave his godson an elbow in the ribs then said, “If I have to, you do as well! So, get ready to read, Harry!”
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Through the Veil and Back Again