Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

In His Place	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Sirius Views: 72865 -:- Recommendations : 16 -:- Currently Reading : 16
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, so sad for me, and make no money off this story, even sadder for me.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. Love you, woman, you're the best!

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

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.

Chapter 21

“What is it you need to talk to me about, Sirius?” Narcissa asked after settling on the settee in one of the smaller rooms in the back of the house. Her cousin had asked to talk to her alone. As she had no clue what the topic was, she was decidedly curious.
“This needs to stay between us for now,” Sirius told her, taking a seat in one of the comfortable chairs there.
Nodding, she motioned for him to get on with it.
Sighing, not sure how to word this, he thought it over for a few moments then said, tone distracted, “When it comes to Harry and this 'gift'—how far are you getting with him in helping? I know you're working with him on meditation and that. Is that to just help when he gets the predictions or can it get him into the place where that happens?”
“If he can get this down, he may be able to get into that place at some point in the future. At this juncture, he's nowhere near doing that.” Lowering her voice, she added, tone containing a heavy sigh, “The truth is he's not trying very hard. He is some, obviously, but he doesn't like what he can do and doesn't want to work with something that may bring more chaos into his life than is already there. It's—I think this is something that's going to take time for him to come to grips with, Sirius. What's happening is still quite new. With all he's had piled on and the challenges that have come from it since waking, this is one he doesn't want to adjust to. His focus is elsewhere, understandably. He realizes how much help he's given with some of what he's come across with and how it can assist in the future, it's just the idea of what it can do. Give it time. I'm sure that something else will drive the point home or he'll adjust and work with it more at some point.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Sirius looked down at the floor as he thought. After a couple minutes of quiet, he said, “Cissy, I need him in that place. There was something he came across with to me when we were alone that I need to talk with someone about. As they're dead and the message came from them, it's the only way I have to manage.”
“What's it about, if I may ask? If I have an idea and it's big enough, it might get him motivated to working harder. I just don't see it happening any time soon. What we're doing takes time to master.” She explained.
“Time is the one thing we don't have with this one,” Sirius groaned. Looking back at her, he said, ”This has to stay between us, Cissy. I mean it. You can't even tell Lucius yet. At least until I can figure out how it relates.”
“Of course,” she nodded, now even more curious what was so imperative that he was even considering this.
“It's about what Rufus told us last night. Something was mentioned to me that might relate and could be the reason Albus is so after Harry to get him back in this nightmare. I'm sure it has to do with that prophecy, of course, but there's more to it than that. I just don't know and have no way of figuring it out. Rather than wait until it might be too late to stop a chain of events, I want to talk with the person that told me to get what he said about this nightmare. If I can manage that, it should give us a heads up and what to watch out for.”
Now understanding, Narcissa nodded then sighed before saying, gently, “Unless we can figure out a way to 'force' him into that place, I don't know anything that can get him there quickly. You need to remember that I'm fumbling in the dark when it comes to me teaching him what I am. Anything else—I'm at a loss how to go about it. If I may ask—who was the message from? That might help motivate him.”
“James,” Sirius told her honestly. “There was a lot he said, but part of it sticks out as relating to this nightmare. If he came across with some, he might know more that can only help all of us. To do that, I need Harry where he was so I can talk to him.”
“It might help, but I know nothing that can get him there quickly, Sirius. It's going to take months to get him to where he can control part of this. I'm even worried that he might not be able to signal you if he gets one in front of others. That's where I'm focusing,” she told him gently, though her mind was working on how they might manage to get him there. Sighing, she said, fingers drumming on her knees, “Let me look in some of the books we've been sent to see if there is a way to force him into that state. While I do that, you talk to Harry. Explain to him what you need and the why behind it. None of us are going to try anything without his permission. With as much as he hates this 'gift', he wouldn't react well if we didn't explain to him what you want to accomplish.” Looking up after she said that, she then added, “You might want to get Alastor over here. I can explain to him what we need to see if he can have Rufus find us something that might work. Then you get with Severus to see if there is a safe potion out there that he can take that will put him in the state he was in when it first manifested. That might be the easier way to go about this, as I'm not sure what else we can do to manage it.”
“I'll work with Harry then send a message to Snape to get in touch when I'm done,” Sirius told her, mind already working on just how in Merlin's good name he was going to manage this one when it came to Harry.
“I need help going through this mass, Sirius,” she then added gently. “I don't think telling Lucius or Remus what you need is bad or that they would say anything. If it comes to nothing, we're out nothing. Let's fill them in so I can get some help. You've seen that pile of books I have on this topic now. There's no chance I can get through all of them on my own.”
“You're right again,” he chuckled. Groaning, he shook his head and looked down at the floor then said, “Let me get with Harry before we talk to them. If he doesn't agree, the point is moot anyway. I won't force him into anything like this. And I'm not sure how much talking it's going to take me to manage anything.”
“Why don't you focus on that today,” she told him softly. “I'll make sure that everyone knows you need to work on something with him so they won't worry what's going on. If you need help, just call and I'll do what I can.”
“Appreciated,” Sirius told her with a nod. Now he just had to get with Harry and see what he could do.

Shaking his head as he looked at Sirius, Harry told him quietly, “I don't like this idea. It's bad enough that I get these out of the blue that I don't want to trigger it on purpose. Who knows what else would come through if I did that. It's—I'm sorry, Sirius, I don't want to do this.” Seeing Sirius look like he was going to say something, Harry added, “You don't understand how hard it is to deal with those things. Not only is there what comes across, but the other pokes and just the feeling being there. It's bad, Sirius, really bad. And whatever I come across with I don't like.”
Looking at his godson, Sirius scooted his chair closer to Harry then rested his elbows on his thighs, hands clasped between his knees and leaned forward, looking at him. “I can appreciate that, I really can. From what we've seen since you've been with it, it's not fun. Harry, this is really important and it's the only way we have to get some of the information. If there was another way to go about getting part of this, I wouldn't have asked. There just isn't. What information we could find on parts might take us months to get our hands on. With all that's going on, I don't think we have that kind of time to come up with pieces of this. We need help, now, especially after what Rufus said was in that diadem.”
Still gazing at Sirius, thinking over what he said, Harry sighed. He hated the mere idea of trying to trigger one of those episodes because of how it felt and what he dealt with when it came to them. Dropping his eyes, he looked at the floor and thought about it. After a couple moments, he asked, “What do you think this has to deal with? I mean, if you want to get with Dad, there has to be something specific you want to know about. Did he say something about part of this mess? If he did, which part?”
That Sirius didn't want to answer. Groaning, he let his head drop forwards then sighed, not sure how to explain that part. Reaching up and smoothing down his goatee, he then thought he had a way to come across with part of it. He wasn't going to full out panic Harry over what he was thinking this related to until he knew for sure just what James meant by the bit about his scar. “He mentioned something about your scar and proving something to Albus. I need to know what he meant to figure it out. Either that or have him explain it. One of the two. I'd rather have him explain it if I can get him to. I swear, Harry, if it wasn't important, I wouldn't ask. Of all of us, I know how much you hate this. I just don't know any other way to get what I need. Hell, I don't know where to start looking to find out.”
Shaking his head, Harry leaned back in his chair and curled up, wrapping his arms around his legs, resting his head on his knees. Thinking it over, he tried to decide what to do. He knew Sirius wouldn't ask this of him if it wasn't important. It was just—he hated the mere idea.
Getting up, Sirius stepped over then sat down on the arm of the chair his godson was seated in. Wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders, he pulled him close, giving him a squeeze then kissing him on top of the head. “It'll be fine, I swear. When we do it, it'll be me with you. I want Snape to sit in as he might know what to ask, but that's all.”
“I don't like this, Sirius,” Harry sighed, leaning against him. “And I have no idea what to do to get in that state. It's not like I can get myself there.”
“I know,” Sirius soothed. “Cissy is going to look into a way to see if we can. If you agree, I'll get with Snape, alone, as well to see if he knows of a potion that might get you into the state you were in when it started for a short time. If we can manage either one, will you?”
“I don't like this, at all,” Harry told him honestly, brow furrowed.
Sliding off the arm of the chair, Sirius crouched down in front of the chair and put a hand on the side of Harry's face then told him, “I get it. I swear I do. It's me, Harry. You know I wouldn't ask anything like this of you unless I didn't have any other choice. And I swear to Merlin that I won't request this again unless it's an emergency of some kind. I won't let others ask either. This is just an odd situation. As crucial as some of this is and what it can mean, to everyone in our world, it's very important. We need this mess to end, I'm sure you know that. You're not the only one in danger, though you are in plenty, and we need that to stop. To do that, we have to do some odd things to figure out how. Even you imparted in one of those states that there were clues to what needed done to finally end this mess. This is part of that, Harry. We need the information, desperately, to protect you from both sides of this nightmare.” Stopping he waited to see what his godson would do. Then he could judge what more he had to try to get how important this was across. He would abide by what Harry wanted, of course, he just really needed him moving in the right direction.
Sighing, eyes locked on Sirius' face, Harry hugged his legs tighter, trembling a bit more than normal. Finally, he shut his eyes and hung his head forward. Giving the barest of nods, he said, voice hushed, “I will. Just—only you and Snape are around when we do it.”
Reaching up and rubbing Harry's head gently, Sirius assured him, “Only us two. I swear. Let me get with him and see if he knows a way to induce that state. If he doesn't, I'll get with Cissy to see what she can find. I think, maybe, a hypnosis spell might do it. I don't know. I'll set Remus to looking for one of those if Snape can't find something that works or that we can try.”
“I hate the mere idea,” Harry sighed, looking down.
Standing, Sirius enlarged the chair then slid into it by Harry. Slipping an arm around his shoulders, he pulled him close. Giving him a kiss on the top of the head, he told him, “I know. I do, too. I swear, I wouldn't have asked if I had another way to go about this. And I won't again unless it's an emergency. It can help, Harry, plenty. That we need, for all our sakes and the sake of plenty of other innocent people. Rufus needs all the help he can get to stop this mess and we need Albus contained so he doesn't pull something with you we can't counter.”
Leaning against Sirius, not uncurling, Harry just nodded. He understood that, he really did, it was just the idea of what they wanted to do. Nothing more than that.

Everyone met with Severus that night through the mirror to hash out what they had heard about the night before. As expected, even with the tempers that had cooled over what they had learned, nothing had come of it other than some places to start looking for information and what Rufus had passed along through Alastor. Once everyone was done, Sirius sent the others out so they could talk to Snape alone. After passing along what he wanted to try, Sirius told him, “What James said when it came to something is related, from what I remember. I need to ask, though. It might save us plenty of wear, tear and running around. The problem comes in that we have no idea how to get Harry into that state where I can talk to James. It was our hope you might know a potion we can give him to get him there. Cissy is looking to see what she can find, but anything along those lines is going to take time we don't have. The only other thing I can think of is one of the hypnosis spells. That will take time to learn as well and we have no idea if it would work as it doesn't on plenty of people.”
“And anything with hypnosis can be dangerous as it might lower 'walls', if you will, that are built up for protection and could unleash plenty of other bits we won't want to handle. Stay away from that.” Severus told him, leaning back, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. “Let me think...” Lifting his eyes, he looked at Harry, who was staring at the floor. Quietly, he asked, “You've agreed to this, Mr. Potter?”
“Yes,” Harry nodded. “I don't like it, but I have, as I understand the reason why Sirius wants to try. Just—I hate it and this so-called gift, how it makes me feel, all of it.”
“Completely understandable,” Severus commiserated with a nod. Sighing, looking tired, he rubbed a hand over his face then said, “Let me see what I can find that is mild and won't counteract with what Mr. Potter is currently taking. And the shortest acting one I can find. Just—give me a few days.” Looking at Sirius, he asked, “How sure are you that you can get information we need? I don't want to do this on a vague hint or suspicion.”
Looking down and trying to think how to say this, he then told him quietly, “Positive, Snape. It's something he said that is almost directly on point. And it relates to what Albus knows. We all need that information to get this moving the right way. From what he said, at a certain point Albus is going to knock his shite off and start helping Rufus. We need that, desperately, as we can't keep this up with You-Know-Who pulling what he is. That's just yanking us in two separate directions to protect so much.”
“We do, I admit that,” Severus nodded. Shaking his head, he said, “Let me see what I can find. Until then, try whatever you can think of to work with this.” Looking at Harry, he added, “You as well, Mr. Potter. I would really rather not go about this by drugging. If you can manage to get yourself into that state, it would help all of us. Try what you can. Work with the meditation while we dig around to see what we can do. Make sure Black is with you when you attempt anything.” Focusing back on Sirius, he added, “Stick with him when he does. Try what you can. It might work, though I'm not hopeful.”
“We'll give it a shot,” Sirius said. “Just—quick, that's all. We need this fast before this whole mess gets worse. If Albus is following that prophecy and wants it to play out how Rufus said, we need to put a stop to what he's trying as fast as we can. You know him, Snape. He'll pull some of the most off the wall shite out of his sleeve when it looks like nothing else is working. That we need to stay alert about. Because I do not want to have to worry about getting myself spun in circles.”
“Quite true,” Severus admitted with a sigh. “I'll start looking tomorrow to see what I can find that won't counteract with what he's on. I think that's where the big issue will come in. Just give me a few days.” As Black wasn't one to make up this kind of scenario, let alone talk Harry into something he obviously didn't want to do, Severus was sure that whatever he wasn't telling him about what he knew was something they needed. Which made this imperative they find out the information. That he would help with. Especially since he was damned sure whatever was going on with Albus was bound to get worse as what the old goat was trying wasn't working.

Lying in bed on his back after turning the lights off, Sirius was holding the dozing off, wonky Harry close. His godson was stressed over this bit, that's for damned sure. And he couldn't blame him for it. To be asked to use a gift you hated and weren't comfortable with wasn't fun. He just didn't feel like he had much choice in the matter.
Giving Harry a squeeze as he mumbled something incoherent as he slid deeper to sleep, Sirius tried to think of what else they could use to get him into that state. He was now leery of hypnosis after what Snape said. Meditation was a maybe, but Harry was already struggling with that from what Cissy told him. So, he didn't think that was a viable option. The potion was all he could think of when it came to that, though he hated the idea of drugging Harry to get it to where they could even get him into that state. It rankled and made his gut curdle in a big way. Looking down at his godson as he shifted into a more comfortable position, Harry's head now tucked under his chin, one arm draped over him, Sirius gave him a squeeze. The nightmares were starting to let up, finally. Not all of them, but he wasn't getting the horrific ones every night. That was good, that's for damned sure. He wasn't sure how many more of those either of them could take.
Reaching out, he smoothed down Harry's tousled hair then kissed him on the top of his head. Feeling Harry mumble in his sleep and press tighter to him, he grinned. That felt good, that's for damned sure. He loved the way that Harry held onto him while he slept. Him holding his godson did as well. It was his thought that the two of them got something out of this that made both of them feel better. As it wasn't any more than this, he didn't see a damned thing wrong with it and would continue to do so no matter what anyone said. The same with Harry staying in his room with him. He was doing far better, everyone would attest to that, but he wasn't going to move him, even next door. Harry—he wanted him just where he was. It was another of those things that gave them both something. Though the excuse was Harry's problems, he wanted it for more than that.
Shutting his eyes with a weary sigh, he decided he needed to get some sleep himself. He couldn't think straight or start to sort out this mess if he was tired. Shifting slightly, turning on his side, he held Harry closer. Feeling Harry tighten his hold on him, he smiled again. This was good.
Just as he was starting to doze off, focusing on Harry's breathing, Sirius came fully awake when an idea hit him. Remembering the night before and how wonky Harry was from the potions he took before bed, he thought that might be enough to talk him into that place, or so he hoped. He was plenty drugged by them, thus them making him sleepy. As they were something he had to take anyway, it might work. Thinking it over, he decided to have Snape 'call' around that time to see what the two of them could manage. He would get with Harry tomorrow, of course, so his godson knew what he was going to try, but this might be the way to go about getting him there. And it was far less traumatic than giving him something else, that's for damned sure!
Lying there, thinking it over, he decided this was the best they had when it came to options. He would just keep Harry awake, like he had last night, and see what they could do.
- 20
- 21
- 22
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

In His Place