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À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 74217 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this work of fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Beta'd by the most wonderful, amazing and stupendous Tenchi. Woman, you are the best and love you for all you do for me!

With help from Lynn who works with me when it comes to flow, continuity and other issues.

Chapter 18

Watching as the old wizard across from him smoothed down those flamboyant robes of his, Rufus then sent for the normal niceties, like tea. Waiting for their delivery, he made the usual small talk. Once they were delivered and his secretary left, the privacy wards sliding into place, Rufus asked, bluntly, “What do you want, Albus?” He knew the old man would come to him to give up information only if it helped him and whatever he was doing. That's what he was anticipating. This time, though, he wasn't going to play that game. Instead, if the old man wanted help, he was giving up plenty.
“I need a bit of an assist, Rufus,” Albus told him after taking a sip of his highly sweetened tea and popping a lemon sherbert in his mouth. “At this point in time, I'm sure you're the only one that I think can give me the help I need.”
“No,” Rufus said bluntly, shaking his head. “I'm not helping you, Albus.”
“It can help both of us, Rufus,” Albus sighed, having known going in that this wouldn't be easy. Rufus wasn't as easy to deal with as most in the Ministry. All it meant was that he had to put more work into the situation than he normally would.
“No,” Rufus reiterated, shaking his shaggy head, leaning back in his chair, completely ignoring his tea. “I'm not playing this with you, Albus. The only way you're getting help from me on anything is if you start giving up answers to what you know. This war is big enough that neither of us can go it alone anymore and just work with one end. We need more than that to fix this nightmare and come out on top. That's not something we can do if you withhold relevant information.”
“This is a complicated situation, Rufus,” Albus sighed, shaking his head. “You have to know there are leaks in the Ministry. I'm afraid what I know will slip out then end up in the wrong hands.”
“If you know who those leaks are, you need to tell me, Albus,” Rufus snarled, eyes flashing. “I can't do anything if I don't know who they are. Giving me the information can only help the both of us. I don't care about your damned Order, or what they do. Hell, they can only help. If you know information I don't have, it doesn't help me! I have resources you don't, Albus. With that, I can effect a change you can't. I also have bodies to throw at the situation you don't have and will never be able to muster. Helping me only helps your end, Albus!” Stopping, he waited to see what the old man said to that.
Looking at the floor, tapping his foot, Albus tried to think what to do. Rufus had resources he didn't on the matter and could easily help in ways no one in the Order could. As the biggest part of this nightmare, the one he had desperately tried to hide, was now moot, he wondered about giving it up. That wasn't easy as he knew the danger the Ministry was in when it came to leaks and falling. If he gave up some of what he knew, the chance it would get back to Tom was there. “You don't understand,” he sighed, shaking his head. “While I know you'll protect the information with everything you have, others in the Ministry won't. Tom has plenty of contacts here, Rufus. I may know a few, but nowhere near all of them. There is also the fact that there are plenty that would blindly follow him if it looked like he was taking over, then giving up what they can. Dolores comes to mind there. She would throw all of us under the Knight Bus if it looked like it would gain her a position or power. That's self proving. Yet she still works here, even after all she did.”
“Give me the names you know and I'll start cleaning house,” Rufus told him plainly. “I don't want them here anymore than you do. Like you, I'm aware You-Know-Who has people in the Ministry. If I don't know who they are, I can't get them out of here.”
Thinking it over, Albus sighed then told him, “How about we compromise. I'll give you the names so you can start cleaning house. Dolores is one that needs to go, now. Before it looks like the winds are starting to shift. In giving the names, you'll give me some help I need. If you can get these people out, we'll meet again then discuss more of what I know. Is that a compromise that you can work with?”
Thinking it over, Rufus gave a slow nod. He could live with that. It wasn't all he wanted, but it could only help. “We have a deal. The names first, Albus.”
“Your word Dolores goes?” Albus asked. Seeing a nod, he gave up the names that he knew, including a couple he was sure were under the Imperious. “Those need dealt with as fast as you can, Rufus. They are placed in such a way that Tom is getting information you don't want him to know.”
Pleased to have at least a starting point, Rufus wrote them all down, fully and completely planning to tend to them once the old goat left. Leaning back and tossing his quill on the desk, he asked, “Now, what is it you need from me?”
“We were wondering if you could get your hands on a marriage contract for us.” Albus told him, settling in himself.
“Whose and why?” Rufus asked, decidedly curious. Of all the things the old man could have asked for, this was one he didn't see how it could relate. Shaking his head, he told him, “I'm not giving you anything in that area without an explanation, Albus. Those are private for a reason. Which means you need to talk before I'll even think about it.”
“Between Narcissa and Lucius,” Albus told him honestly. Then he added, “We think, maybe, we have some wiggle room that can help all of us, Rufus. To know, we need to see what's in that contract.”
If Lucius and Narcissa were involved in this, it was huge. Unlike Fudge, he knew just who Lucius backed and wasn't blinded by money tossed around. If it could help, he wanted to know how before he got his hopes up. “Walk me through what you know and how it can be of assistance. After I hear it, I'll decide what I'll do.”
That Albus didn't like, not at all, but he began talking. Once he finished, seeing an intent look on Rufus' face, he said, “If what we think is in it is in fact there, we can use it, Rufus. Sirius is head of the House of Black. Draco, from what we know, has already set him off with his lip service over this mess. Though I'm sure it's all just talk, the fact is it can be used to invoke whatever is in that contract. Narcissa is already very worried over it.”
Oh, Rufus loved this. Grinning grimly, he nodded, pleased. “Tell me this—if there is something in there to that effect, can you get Sirius to invoke that clause? Or at least start down the road to doing it? Maybe just threaten? That would take a great deal of the funding You-Know-Who has away from him and can only help all of us. It may end up making him more violent, but he won't be as effective with other areas. We can use that, Albus, all of us.”
“I think, maybe, once Sirius gets in a better place that it's something I can persuade him to do. Just not right now. At the moment, he and Harry just aren't in any kind of shape to take anything like this on, let alone deal with the fallout that will undoubtedly come from it,” Albus told him. “What we can pull off will depend on what's in that contract. One of the people that helped us go through the mess we were able to get our hands on told us she thinks he can also go after Bella's vaults. And the various husbands as well. We don't know. That contract will give us an idea of what he can do. So, before I bring it up to him, we want to know just what he might be able to manage.”
Liking this more as Albus talked, Rufus gave a firm nod. “I'll get my hands on it and pass it your way.” Eying the old man, he added, tone hard, “There is a caveat to this, Albus!”
Figuring that would factor in, Albus gave a weary nod then asked, “What's that?”
“I want to know what's going on and what Sirius agrees to. Not only can it help all of us, but we need to prepare for the fallout. Sirius, if he pulls this out and does take it on, will need protection. As will Harry and Remus. I can't take that on if I don't know what's happening, Albus,” Rufus told him, tone level but with some bite to it.
“Those are areas I'll concede,” Albus nodded, understanding the why behind his reasoning. It was also something warranted.
“If he does take this on, we all need prepared for the hell that it'll bring on. You-Know-Who will go mental, completely. We need prepared for that as well. It's bad now, we all know that, but if Sirius does invoke this, what's going on will look like a fun fair compared to what will come,” Rufus sighed, mind already working over what could happen. However, on the flip side, he was also thinking about the immeasurable assist it could bring in neutralizing plenty of areas.
“I'll do what I can,” Albus told him with a nod.
Leaning back, pleased, Rufus crossed his legs then said, “Let me start looking. I'll get with the head of the Hall of Records and set him to the task of finding it then removing whatever privacy spells that may be on it. I can easily invoke Ministerial override for that area.” Seeing the old man nod, looking pleased, he changed topics. “I want to know about Draco. From what I've heard, he's bragged about taking the Mark over the summer. Is this just lip service or is he serious?”
“We don't know,” Albus admitted, shaking his head sadly. “As I'm sure you know, he's one that feels the need to run his mouth in an attempt to impress people. We're sure most of what is coming from him is another form of that. With all that's going on, though, not to mention that Lucius is in disfavor because of his failure last year, we aren't sure just what it is. It may be an attempt to help his father. If it is, he doesn't know what he might bring down on himself. I'm sure that Tom will notice then use it to get something he wants. It's my hope that someone will put a leash on him, but I'm not sure that's possible at this point. He's in the middle of a full temper tantrum because he is actually suffering consequences for once.” Looking at Rufus, he told him, “I think that Draco is someone we can help and get him to see he's on the wrong path. All we have to do is find the way to go about it. That's not something I'm sure how tob do right now.”
“If he keeps it up, I'm stepping in,” Rufus said, a determined bent to his voice. “What he's bragging about is enough to make plenty wary. If this nightmare grows worse, I'm tossing him in Azkaban for the duration. We don't need people out on the streets bragging about helping that faction, Albus.”
“I have someone that is trying to help with the situation. Let me pass that along to see what we can manage,” Albus told him, fully planning to get with Severus so he could pass on that information. It might help, though he wasn't sure.
“I've already tossed Stan Shunpike in for admitting to being a Death Eater. I do get he's one that is just bragging, but the mere mention that someone follows You-Know-Who is enough to cause panic. We don't need that on top of all that's happening.” Rufus told him plainly.
“That I'll pass on as well. It's my hope that you having a history of not tolerating such bragging will make an impression,” Albus said. This he was more hopeful about as it was proof of what could happen and would make sure to impress that upon Severus. “My suggestion is that you make a public announcement to that effect. It could only help, Rufus. Immeasurably. If it's out there, it may stop a great deal of nonsense and give others of us leverage to back off some people so they stop the codswallop that only helps the other side.”
“Sound advice that I'll take,” Rufus said honestly, making a note to get with the proper department so that they could come up with an appropriately worded decree for the papers. Though he didn't like doing what he was about to, he would. Albus was smart enough to give advice. Rufus would listen, but wouldn't commit to anything without dissecting it. There were probably bits he would be able to use and implement. He just needed to stay wary of an agenda. “Anything else you can think of that can help?”
Albus loved that. Settling back, he began imparting what he thought might assist with the mess. Oh, nothing like a massive Ministry push to take on Tom, just minor areas that could only help all of them down the line.

“Arthur wants to come over,” Remus said in a distracted voice as he read through the letter. “He says it's important and it's something that he wants to talk to you about.” The three of them were actually lounging in bed. As the closeness was helping Harry, it wasn't a hardship. For the most part, Remus had everything caught up. The mail was something he was just sorting through, nothing more. He would deal with most of what was there later. He just wanted to know what was in the letter from Arthur, so he opened it.
Flopping on his side, holding Harry close, one arm draped over his waist, Sirius asked, “Does he say why? Right now isn't a real good time for that, honestly.”
“No, he doesn't,” Remus sighed, shaking his head. “I think, from the way he worded this, he doesn't want to write it down for fear it might get in someone else's hands. That's a legitimate concern, obviously. We all know owls can be intercepted.” Looking over at Sirius, he said, “We might want to set this up. If it's important enough he's pushing for a meeting, it means big. He knows the problems we're having, of course, and wouldn't have done this if it wasn't something he needed us to know or ask about. He also said he has letters from Harry's friends.”
“That we don't need right now either,” Sirius groaned, shaking his head. “The last batch was bad enough. Albus might have talked to them, but I'm not all that sure it's going to deter two of them.”
“I'll go through them first to see what they say,” Remus assured him, sitting the letter aside. “With the problems we're having, one hint of that and I won't pass them along.” Turning on his side, reaching out to stroke Harry's hair before resting his hand above Sirius', he added, “I think we should consider Arthur's request. If Harry stays as Little Paws, we shouldn't have a problem. And if he gets too overly stressed, you can take him into another room and work on calming him down.”
“I'm just leery of setting off this nightmare again,” Sirius admitted, pulling Harry closer to him. Looking down at his godson, who was lying on his side, back pressed to Sirius' chest, gazing up at him, he added, “That we don't need and will make matters all the worse.”
“We have something in place to help and its working. At this point, we're back very close to normal. To press on, we need to work with people around. Arthur is perfect for that. Neither of you see him as a threat or a problem. As he knows the issues we're having, he'll go out of his way not to set off worse. I can even ensure he knows what's going on and to be more cautious than normal about bringing about worse.”
Groaning, head going back, Sirius thought about it. After a few minutes, he said, “Give me until tomorrow to decide. I think Harry and I need to talk that over to see where we are so we don't revert back.”
Understanding that completely, Remus nodded. “I'll set the letter aside until you both discuss it.” Snuggling up to Harry, Remus smiled, leaning down and kissing him on top of the head. “Are you feeling better? And having a better handle on this mess?”
“It's getting better,” Harry nodded, looking at him. And it was. He was back to feeling like he had been before Dumbledore came over. It wasn't completely there, but getting close. That felt wonderful, too. The stress that came with it was also abating. That alone was helping immeasurably. Without the anxiety, he could manage more. It wasn't easy, of course, but he was getting there. Each time they pushed, it became easier for him to make choices or act like he used to.
“Good,” Sirius grinned, giving him another affectionate squeeze and kiss on the side of the head. “It's easy to see the progress as well. That sure as fuck helps, as we can judge better what we need to do with what's still here.”
Smiling at what Harry said, adoring that he was even beginning to sound like the Harry of old and actually giving more than one or two word answers, Remus asked, “Can you explain to us how the closeness and kissing helps? If we know, we might be able to find something else to go along with it.”
Brow furrowed, Harry looked down, trying to think how to word what he wanted to say so they understood. That wasn't as easy as it sounded. What he felt and how it helped wasn't easily explained. After a minute or so of silence, he told them, “It's like its normal and how it was.” Stopping, he looked between the two and waited to see if they needed more of an explanation or got what he was trying to say.
Thinking that over, glancing at Sirius, who was gazing at him, Remus tried to figure out what Harry meant. The explanation was too simplistic for him to easily understand. It didn't give details that he needed to sort through and get why it affected him in such a positive way. At least until it hit him.
Eyes widening, he looked down at Harry then asked, “Is it because we're asking you to act like you used to, but we changed how we we're acting? That threw you off?”
“Yes!” Harry told him, relieved that he understood.
“Bloody hell! We didn't think about that,” Sirius groaned, head going back. While they were desperately trying to get Harry back to normal, they had 'changed normal', making it harder for him to get there. The kissing and closeness were bits that were normal for them since this nightmare started. So, in pushing him for 'normal' they needed to keep the 'normal' in there that aided all of them, something they hadn’t done. Shaking his head, he added, “We'll keep that in mind.” There was plenty they could do to help that wasn't sexual in nature. The sexual part—yeah, that wasn't coming back until Harry was in a better place, but plenty of other bits could. Like the kissing. They were holding him and whatever, something they did, but probably more often. There was a neglect in other areas.
“We're going to keep that in mind,” Remus said, looking between the two, pleased with the information as it helped, plenty. Reaching out, he stroked Harry's hair then said, softly, “I'm sorry. We didn't think about that and in not doing so, made this harder on you. That wasn't the intent.”
“It wasn't and we'll correct it,” Sirius agreed. Lowering his voice, he added, “I'm sorry as well. I think Remus and I just freaked out over what was going on and couldn't see beyond certain areas.”
“It's alright,” Harry told them, feeling better. Shutting his eyes, he gave a contented sigh. This felt so much better.

“I wanted to give you a heads up, Severus. While what Draco is doing can help us immeasurably, I don't want him to end up in the same position as poor Stan Shunpike,” Albus told the man in black, shaking his head. “Rufus is serious. Deadly serious about taking this step. He even asked my advice on other matters. I do believe he's genuinely pondering it.”
Grave look on his face, Severus gave a slow nod. “Let me see what I can manage. I'll impart in the guise of having heard it from you for other reasons. It's my opinion that it won't help, Albus. Draco seems to feel he's above the law and anything else because of Lucius. Honestly? Though it would get across to most people, I don't think it'll help in this situation. One of the rumblings I keep picking up on from other Death Eaters is that the Dark Lord is taking an interest in Draco. In fact, some have mentioned that he thinks Draco might be useful. That we don't need. I would rather see him in Azkaban, where the lesson might end up driven home, than the Dark Lord coming up with uses for him. If that starts, we have bigger problems.”
Looking sad, Albus shook his head then sighed, “In that situation, I would agree with you, Severus. Tom—no, we want to keep Draco out of his hands. Let's see what we can manage with that. Arthur is going to try to get with Sirius, Remus and Harry this week to see what Sirius is willing to do or knows on this matter. Rufus is going to get his hands on the marriage contract. I'll see what I can do to push all of it. I don't know. Plenty depends on the shape Sirius is in and what he is willing to do.”
“I'm sure if we push that step, though it will help immeasurably in many areas, it may push Draco further into the arms of the Dark Lord,” Severus imparted, a heavy sigh to his voice.
“I think that the old adage of the Greater Good applies here, Severus,” Albus said, voice soft and weary. “Sacrifices have to happen. We all know that. If Draco doesn't stop his foolish behavior, he might end up being one of them. I don't like that as I'm sure you don't, but there is little more we can do. Over the last year, we've tried everything we can think of and it hasn't helped. Maybe the time has come for reality to slap young Mr. Malfoy. If he can't see the forest for the trees, we need to press on. Lives are at stake, plenty of them. We both know what will happen if Tom takes the Ministry. Making that step happen, something we both know he‘s planning, and we’ll have more problems than just young Mr. Malfoy. Plenty of people will end up in serious danger, including the younger set.”
Looking dour, Severus let out a heavy sign then gave a slow nod. “Understood and you're right. No sense in wasting effort that can be used better elsewhere on a lost cause. Let me see what I can manage before we give up on him.”
“Give it all you have,” Albus said, though he wasn't hopeful Severus would succeed. No, Draco had started down the path to hell and there was very little left they could do to pull him back.
- 17
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- 19
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À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)