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
- 17
- 18
- 19
Chapter 18

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.

“Honestly? I think we need to give this a shot, Harry,” Sirius told his godson, stroking his head. They were on their bed with Sirius sitting up, leaning back against the headboard and Harry straddling him, sitting on his lap.
Groaning, slightly flushed, Harry rubbed his eyes then shook his head. “I don't know about this.”
“Is it the sex part that's bugging you or something else?” Sirius asked, gently. He assumed that's what it was but wanted a confirmation before he began to work with it.
“It's the sex part,” Harry mumbled with a sigh, looking down.
“I figured,” Sirius told him gently. Rubbing Harry's head, he then told the young man, “It's nothing to be uptight or embarrassed about, I swear. Neither of us is going to say a word to you about your lack of experience.” Stopping, he sighed then admitted, “Part of this is the fault of the adults around you.” Seeing Harry look up at him, a quizzical expression on his face, Sirius said, “One of us, somewhere, should have talked about sex with you when it became readily apparent the Dursleys weren't going to. It was like so much else; we didn't think about it. I should have done it or talked Remus into it. If nothing else, Arthur could have done it. Hell, he would have probably been the better choice as he's had to explain it to all his sons at some point.” Putting a hand on the back of Harry's head, he pulled him forward and kissed him on the scar marring his forehead. “We'll just deal with it from here and move on, Harry. Trust me, no one is going to say anything or make fun of you. If you enjoy it, it's fine. And, I promise, nothing you're going to come across with that you might like will shock either me or Lucius. I can promise that.” Trying to lighten the mood, he said, grinning, “Unless you want to dress up in a kangaroo suit and beat on someone with a soft bat or want to watch Padfoot prance around in a bikini. Those might.”
Snickering, Harry shook his head then said, “Those are some strange images, Sirius! No thanks!”
Grinning, Sirius said, “I thought not. With as little as you know on the topic, I very much doubt anything you come across with is going to be too bizarre. I'm also going to be honest in that I really do want to hear what you like. I go by the reactions I get from you, not really knowing what it is. Knowing would be helpful. As I've said, this whole thing works two ways, Harry. I want you to enjoy it too. And, to do that, I need to know what you like.”
Understanding that, Harry nodded but sighed. “You don't understand. It's hard.”
“Why? It's just me. You know you can tell me anything,” Sirius told him.
Rubbing his eyes under his glasses, Harry asked him softly, “How much do you know about how Muggles see same sex relationships?”
“Actually, nothing,” Sirius admitted. “I assume they see it the same way we do; that it doesn't matter.”
“They don't,” Harry told him quietly, shaking his head. “There is a segment that does and is pushing for them to have the same rights, but it's so ingrained that it's wrong, for many reasons, that it's stigmatized. In fact, the ones that see it that way tend to be rather vocal about it.” Stopping, Harry rubbed his eyes and sighed, “Look, I get it's a bunch of garbage, but I heard it the whole time growing up and am having problems with that, alright?”
“Bloody hell,” Sirius breathed, shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling. “I didn't know that.” Rubbing his eyes, he tried to think. After a minute or so, he said, “We don't see it that way, Harry. It's accepted. Hell, all of us in school knew Lucius liked guys more than he did girls. Same with many others there. It wasn't ever commented on and was seen as normal.”
“I know. I've heard,” Harry told him with a soft sigh. “It's just hard to shove aside hearing something like that for so long. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were quite vocal about gays and how they were freaks. In fact, with the way they talked, they saw gays as bigger freaks than me.”
The more that he heard about those two, the more Sirius wanted to hex the hell out of them. This didn't help anything at all. “Yeah, well, they're wrong, just like they are about so much else,” he told his godson firmly. “Who you love doesn't matter.”
“I know, I do,” Harry shrugged, finally glancing at Sirius. “There are just problems still.”
Stroking Harry's head, Sirius smiled at him, “I get it. Probably more now than I did before we started talking. There is nothing wrong with it. And I get the embarrassment. I promise you, though, neither Lucius or I will make fun of you for anything you come across with. And if you have a question, ask me. I'll explain it. Some of this, well, I'm fumbling with too, as you're the first guy I’ve been with. My experience was always with women. I hadn't done anything with a man before.” Lowering his voice, grinning a little, he then added, “And you're the first with anyone since before I went to Azkaban. So, we're both fumbling a little here, Harry. I'm also going to admit that your age is something I'm having problems with as well. I get why it's happening and what's driving it, but it's still there. We won't even talk about the fact that I knew you as a baby.”
Looking at his godfather, Harry thought that over then admitted, “I don't think I thought about it that way.”
“I imagine Lucius is going to have the same problems. You're the same age as Draco. That has to affect things for him, though he knows the force behind it. He did tell me he wasn't sure how to deal with you on this because of how little you know on topic. Get with him, Harry, and talk it out. He'll give you the same assurances, I promise. If you can't do it aloud, do it through the link. And if it makes you more comfortable, cut the one to me while you do talk. That might make it easier on you,” Sirius told him. Thinking it over, he said, “In fact, if there is something you like or want, you can do it with me that way as well. That might be easier on you. Just shut your eyes and do it that way.”
Thinking about that, Harry nodded. It was something he thought might help. “I can try.”
Pleased that he had come up with something that might work, Sirius nodded. Leaning forward, he kissed Harry softly. When he broke it off, he said, “I don't see anything wrong with this or what we do. Hell, I think you're damned sexy and a turn-on. I adore what we do together and it's more satisfying than with anyone I've been with in the past because of what we feel for each other.”
Leaning forward and resting his head on Sirius' shoulder, Harry shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around his godfather. Smiling, he said, “I like it too. And I think you're dead sexy. It's just—not something I thought about before, I admit that.” Quietly, he added, “Honestly? I didn't think much about girls either.” Shrugging, he said, “There was so much going on that it wasn't a focus, you know?”
“I get it, trust me,” Sirius nodded, holding Harry tightly, stroking his head. “I don't think I thought about that either. I just assumed since you were at that age, you were like I was then. It's not the same and I didn't take that into account. We'll work with it, don't worry about that.”

Nodding, Harry said nothing and held onto Sirius.

Looking around the table at those assembled for the meeting, Albus nodded. Everyone he needed was here. Quietly, he asked, “Where are Harry and the Malfoys? I don't think I've seen Harry other than that one time since he came for the summer. He's alright, isn't he?”
“He's fine, Albus,” Arthur assured him with a smile. “We've seen him several times since he moved here.”
“The lot of them are holed up in my room. From what I saw before coming down, they are settling in to play cards. I thought that was best in case something was off. If they are in my room, there is no chance of anything we say being overheard,” Sirius explained, looking at the man. He liked that because it wasn't a lie. They were doing just that. The only thing he didn't mention was that Harry was already out cold from the Dreamless Sleep. Between all of them, they had decided that his room was probably the best to hole up in if someone went to check on them. That way, it wouldn't look odd if Harry was taking a nap.
Liking that, Albus nodded. “Oh, good. Yes, that sounds wise. I take it there are no problems so far? Everyone is getting along well?”
“So far, so good,” Sirius told him, sipping at his coffee. Right now, he was doing pretty good. There was some pain from Harry, but, apparently, the Dreamless Sleep was helping because it was manageable up to this point. However, he was getting some very strange imagery from his godson when it came to the dreams he was having. Most of them he couldn't make heads or tails out of. If this kept up, everything would be fine. The only odd thing was that the connection between him and Lucius seemed stronger. In fact, they were able to communicate directly right now, something they normally couldn't do. That meant the potion had shut something, somewhere down. He just hoped that it wasn't more than that. On that end, it was going to be a wait and see thing, he supposed.
“There is a truce going with Draco and Harry,” Remus told the man. “They aren't best friends, of course, but are getting along. Narcissa and Lucius aren't an issue either, at least that we can tell. They are keeping busy and being polite about the whole thing.”
Pleased with that, Albus pressed on. Shaking his head, he said, “It appears that Arabella has observed some known Death Eaters near Privet Drive. Which means we need to do something about stepping up plans to protect the Dursleys. I'll go over this week and fill them in completely about what the situation is for them. However, we need to do something.” Quietly, he began to walk them through what he wanted done.

Sitting on the edge of Black's bed, Lucius was trying to focus on the cards in his hand while he stroked Harry's head, which was resting in his lap as the young man slept. They thought this best as he would be touching Harry in some way in case there was some serious pain. It was hoped that this would also stave off problems for Sirius. So far, it was going well. He was keeping a close watch on the timer they had set up to make damned sure he dumped the next dose of Dreamless Sleep down Harry's throat before this one wore off. None of them wanted to deal with what might come if that happened, so he was going to keep a very close eye on it.
Tossing a card out, smirking as Draco moaned about what it was going to do to him, Lucius chuckled, “This is rather enjoyable.”
“It is,” Narcissa agreed, smiling at her son's grousing. “We're going to have to remember to do this more often.”
“It's more fun with Sirius playing, though,” Draco chuckled, grinning a little. “His moaning is a right riot.”
“That it is,” Narcissa agreed with a nod. “He's always been like that.” Glancing at the sleeping Harry, she asked, quietly, “Is everything going well so far?”
“So far, yes,” Lucius told her, pleased. “There is some pain, but not much. I think the combination of the distance, me touching him and the Dreamless Sleep is helping. I'm not sure how, but it may be because he's not coherent enough to feel whatever is happening. What's there is most definitely manageable. The only thing we've noticed so far is it's shutting down some things he has in place. One I won't grouse about as it'll allow us to get help if we need it. The other things—well, they are dreams. As one would expect, they are strange.”
“Let's hope it stays that way,” Narcissa said, relieved, tossing a card out that had her husband groaning, smiling when he called her an evil woman.

As the meeting stretched beyond the two hour mark, Sirius was relieved that Lucius ensured Harry had the second dose of Dreamless Sleep. From what he could tell, his godson was out cold and not being bothered by the small amount of pain that was there. The only thing he noticed by now was the fact that he was having problems concentrating on what was said at the meeting. The connection with Harry seemed stronger right now, probably because whatever natural defenses his godson managed to build were down because of the potion. He was working with it, but it was strange, especially with the dreams he was picking up on.
Just as Albus was pressing to some information they had about Death Eater activity, and what it might mean, Sirius stiffened up then his eyes widened fractionally. Harry's dreams had shifted into something he knew wasn’t a dream, but a memory, and it was one he sure as hell didn't want to see! Rubbing his eyes as he watched Lily crouching down in front of Harry's crib and talking to him that awful night so long ago, he wanted to shut this down. There wasn't a way to do that, though, at least one he knew of. As out of it as Harry was, nothing Lucius did could get the track to shift away and focus it elsewhere. However, he was going to try. Poking the man, he imparted for him to try to get through to Harry in a physical way to see if that changed the memory, something Lucius agreed to do, while he poked Harry through the link. That, though, didn't work as his godson didn't respond, something he had expected.
Looking down at the table and rubbing his eyes as he watched his friend die then the snake-faced bastard try to kill Harry, he gave an involuntary shudder. This was bad and he didn't realize Harry remembered it. Though stunned when Snape showed up and was crying as he held Lily after she was gone, it was still something cringe-worthy to see. Giving an internal sigh at what he knew he had done after that, he felt some guilt over what he knew his godson's life had become after this incident. Trying not to second guess what happened, he was then shocked by the memory continuing and what it showed.
Stiffening, he watched as a winged serpent of some kind, one that was bluish in color, at least that he could tell from how dark it was in the room, with what looked like a burnt, blackened nose slithered into Harry's crib and wrapped around him. Its head rested on Harry's shoulder and it began to hiss, something that made Harry stop crying immediately. Unlike in the past, when the snake hissed, he could understand it. Quietly, it imparted to the obviously upset child that it was fine and he was safe. Hissing what appeared to be a soft lullaby to calm Harry, the snake didn't seem like it was trying to harm his godson in any way. When Harry calmed down and there were footsteps heard on the stairs, the snake's head came up and looked that way. Hissing softly, it told Harry not to worry, that it would always be with him. Slowly, the winged serpent then seemed to melt into Harry's body. After another soft hiss to tell the child that was his godson all was fine, the snake was gone. The memory ended with the door opening and Albus standing there, looking sad.
Sitting there, Sirius didn't know what to think about that. The memory—he was sure that was real, damned sure, but the snake bit? What the hell was that? Not looking up, he poked Lucius and asked if he saw it as well.

Having dropped the cards on the table when Black poked him then he tried to shake Harry, hoping that would jar something in the young man, Lucius was stunned by what he was getting. Eyes wide, he looked at Draco and Narcissa, both who had curious expressions on their faces. Shaking his head, he didn't know what to make of what he saw. When Black poked him again, he answered, “I saw it. That was a strange dream, that's for damned sure!”
“That wasn't a dream,” Sirius groused, lifting his head and pretending to be paying attention to the meeting. “That's what happened. I know Harry told me that when the Dementors are around, he hears his mother die. So, he remembers. The snake—did you understand it?”
“I did,” Lucius confirmed, still wide-eyed, looking at the other two in the room. “He remembers then. Bloody hell, what was that snake?”
“I don't know,” Sirius said, rubbing a hand over his mouth, shooting Remus a covert look.
“Has he ever mentioned it in any way?” Lucius inquired, rubbing Harry's head now that the young man had switched to another memory, one not nearly as traumatizing; that of flying.
“No, never,” Sirius told him. “I'll ask later, as that's, obviously, a touchy topic with him, but it's something he would have mentioned I think.”
“He's not going to remember this either,” Lucius said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Thinking, he shook his head then said, “Maybe it's a meld of both a memory and a dream. I don't know. I—let me think.”
Glancing up, seeing Snape looking in his direction with an arched eyebrow, Sirius mouthed the word 'later' then told Lucius, “I have no way of confirming any of this. Snape might. If he was there, as that showed, he might be able to confirm some of it. I'm tending to think this is real. What Harry remembers about it I don't know.”
“Yes,” Lucius said, nodding though Sirius couldn't see it. “I'll pull the memory and have an elf get it to him as he leaves. He can observe it and tell us if it is real. That—I don't know what this is,” Lucius admitted honestly.
“Have the elf tell him to let us know one way or another,” Sirius said, trying to focus.
“I will,” Lucius told him firmly, looking at his wife. This—Tom needed to be aware of this, that's for damned sure!

Pulling his face out of the Pensieve, Severus was shaking badly, wide-eyed. Looking at the Dark Lord when he pulled his face out as well, he didn't know what to say.
Looking at Severus, Tom asked, gently, “Is that what happened that night with you?”
“It is,” Severus managed to stammer out. “How does he remember that?”
“I don't know,” Tom told him softly, shaking his head, rubbing a hand over his face. “The snake—I've seen something like that before, but I don't know where.”
“How does a snake relate to this?” Severus asked, trying to calm himself.
“I don't know that either,” Tom admitted. Rubbing his eyes in a tired way, he told the man, “Tell Lucius it's real. And tell him to get every bit of information he can for us. Impart that we'll look into the snake and what that might mean. I don't know here, Severus. We'll find it. Winged serpents are rare, even in mythology. There has to be something. Maybe that can tie up what is there with other parts.”
Bottling up the memory with a shaking hand, Severus nodded. “I'll take this to Lucius personally and see what they know from there. If I find anything new, I'll return.” Seeing the Dark Lord nod, Severus swept out, still shaking slightly.

“A snake?” Harry asked, looking between Lucius and Sirius as they sat at the kitchen table long after the meeting was over. Shaking his head, he told them, confused, “I don't remember anything about a snake.” Stopping, he sighed then said, “I just told you all I remember and it's only up to a point. Even that—it's what the Dementors bring up, so it's not all of it, thankfully.”
“Severus said the part with him is real,” Lucius told the young man, looking at the note in his hands then around. Shaking his head, he imparted, “He's on his way back over here.”
“You understood the snake then?” Seeing them nod, Harry asked, “Could that be because I do? I mean, I know what they sound like by now and can tell them apart from people, but couldn't it be because I understand it?”
“Maybe,” Sirius nodded. “I don't know.” Stopping, he rubbed his eyes, “This is bloody strange.”
Looking between the three seated across from him, Remus shook his head. “This—a winged snake? Bluish in color with a blackened nose?”
“As dark as it was in that memory, the color's something I'm not sure about,” Sirius told his friend. “It looked blue to me, at least a shade of it. I don't know. It had wings, that's for damned sure.”
“Okay, that I think I can work with.” Remus said firmly, nodding. “There are Muggle myths about winged snakes. We all know that Muggle myths might be real. I've heard of at least one out of South America. Let me look into it and see what I can find. That I at least have a base off of. How it relates—that I don't know.”
Hearing someone's thoughts as they approached, Harry's head came up then he relaxed when he realized it was Snape. Shaking his head, he rubbed his eyes and groused, “This is strange.” Stiffening, brow furrowing, he looked down at his arm where that strange mark was. Quickly pulling the glamour off, he said, nudging Sirius, “It's a snake. It's a winged snake.”
Grabbing Harry's arm and looking at it, then glancing at Black who was examining his own arm, Lucius nodded, “It's a serpent of some kind.”
Standing slightly, Remus grabbed Sirius' arm and looked at it as Severus stepped in. Glancing at the man then looking back at the mark, he said, “It sure resembles one.”
Looking around, brow furrowed, Severus asked, “What resembles what? Have you figured something out?”
“Maybe,” Lucius said, examining Harry's arm more closely. Quickly, he walked Severus through what they learned so far.
Taking a seat by Black, Severus examined the mark then nodded slowly, “I agree.” Glancing at Lupin, he said, “See what you can find as this is not an area I know.” Seeing the man nod, he looked at Potter, who was examining his own arm. His instinct was to get the boy alone and ask him just what he knew about some areas, but fought that. So far, Potter was keeping everything he picked up from all of them to himself and, quite frankly, he wanted it to stay that way. He didn't want to rile him or, really, want to know what he knew or he would fret over it. Shaking his head, he said, “This relates somehow, though I don't have a clue.” Looking at Potter again, he asked, “You've had nothing about a snake like that in any way?”
“Not that I know of,” Harry told him honestly. “As far as I know, I didn't realize I could talk to them until just before I went to Hogwarts. Before that, I don't even think I encountered one.”
Rubbing a hand over his mouth, Severus nodded at that. “Let me see what I can find here. Maybe if we go about it this way and backtrack we can trace what we need to a source that can help as nothing we're doing the other way is working.” Stopping, he looked around then asked, “Is there anything else?”
“There is,” Narcissa told him. “It happened last night.” Quietly, she told him about the encounter with Kreacher.
Liking there was more information, Severus listened intently, hoping that this might be a key to something, somewhere.
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Through the Veil and Back Again