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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
- 27
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- 29
Chapter 28

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

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.

Looking at Sirius when he felt his godfather put a hand on his shoulder, Harry then shook his head and focused on the mass of bodies in the room. To him, it seemed like almost all the Order was there. There was chaos and a ton of noise, too. Most of that, though, was coming from the bellowing Uncle Vernon. The man was furious. In fact, Harry was sure he had never seen him this angry in his entire life. Face flushed red, Vernon was yelling at everyone, not even trying to listen to what was said. His eyes flitted to his Aunt Petunia, who was behind Uncle Vernon, clutching onto his arm. She was so pale she appeared whiter than any sheet he had ever seen. Dudley, for once, wasn't cowering behind them. Instead, he was seated in a chair close by the two, an almost euphoric look on his face. His cousin was trembling slightly, but Harry didn't think it was from fear. Instead, he looked almost stoned.
Leaning against Sirius when he felt the man tug him that way, Harry just shook his head again and looked at the floor. Now he understood the reason for the attack and the consequences if that bond had been left on Dudley. Everyone had been trying to explain that to his irate uncle since they were brought to the house. Uncle Vernon didn't want to listen though. Instead, he kept insisting the binding be put back on. This wasn't going to end well.
Sighing as Mr. Weasley stepped forward to talk to his uncle, Harry refused to look up. He wasn't sure what to do that could help with this mess. In fact, he was certain that if he said anything at all it would probably make it worse. That was not something they needed.
“Its fine, Harry,” Sirius soothed through the link. “They'll figure something out.”
“Nothing good is going to come of this,” Harry told him softly, lifting his eyes to watch when Uncle Vernon began to bellow louder.
“Just let everyone else handle it,” Lucius told him softly through the link. He was standing off to one side of Harry, with Narcissa and Draco right beside him, watching the debacle play out. As it was, he was completely disgusted with what he saw and heard. They knew Harry's family wasn’t the nicest of people, but this was horrific. He didn't understand how Harry had managed to live with them for so long without hexing them into oblivion. As it was, the hate and vitriol spewed by the whale Vernon had him itching to draw his wand and throw a few hexes himself. He stayed his hand though, and just watched. However, if the idiot started on Harry, he wasn't sure he could control that impulse. Sirius wouldn't either, that he was sure of. For now, it was best all of them stay out of this and let cooler heads work with the fiasco. Once that was done, they would press on.

“Mr. Dursley, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation or what we're trying to explain to you,” Arthur told the right irate man softly. Albus thought it was best he step in to deal with the situation as he had contact with the man before. Not to mention he was used to dealing with Muggles as part of his job. However, this wasn't going well at all. In fact, he hadn't ever dealt with a Muggle this bad before. Oh, he knew what the family was like, at least a little, from past interaction, but he hadn't seen this before. And he wasn't sure what to do.
“Put the binding back on!” Vernon bellowed, fists tightly clenched. “My son will not be a freak like the boy! I am not sending him off to that—school to have him learn magic tricks and become just as bad! No! This stops now! It's bad enough we were saddled with the boy, you are not turning my son into one of you!” This was a ruddy nightmare, that's all there was to it. And Vernon would not and could not accept it. No! Dudley—he hadn't known he was magical. In fact, there was no inkling of it. And if his son had lived without it this long, he could go the rest of his life without it. He absolutely refused to have a freak for a son! That's all there was to it!
Glancing at Harry, who was just staring at the floor, shaking his head, Arthur's eyes then flitted to Sirius. Seeing a rising flush on the ex-Auror's face and his eyes narrowing, he was sure if this continued they were going to have all-out war very soon. Shivering at the thought of what could come if this went on, he focused back on Vernon. All he hoped was that Albus and the others could keep Sirius under control.
Schooling his voice into something soothing, Arthur told the irate man, “Mr. Dursley, we can't put the binding back on. There's no way to do that because of your son's age. Even if we could, no one would do it. If his magic is rebound, it'll kill him before he's thirty! And he'll suffer plenty before that happens. You don't want that, do you? He's your son. As a father, you have to understand that, though you might not like something, it's better than watching your child suffer then die!”
“Put the binding back on!” Vernon shouted. “You can't tell me you can't do that! Put it back on this instant! I will not have my son being a freak! He's better off with a shorter life than being one of you lot!”
Flinching at that, not sure what to say, eyes widening, Arthur glanced around. Seeing stunned and furious faces, he shook his head. Honestly, he wasn't sure how to progress from here. Glancing at Mrs. Dursley, who was shaking and looking at the floor, he said, keeping a level tone though even he was getting angry at the man's unwillingness to understand, “We can't. It's not possible. There is no way to rebind Dudley's magic. As it's now free, he has to be taught to channel it or he's going to be a danger to everyone around him. This is the only way, Mr. Dursley. We can find you somewhere safe to stay then help teach him what he needs to know.”
“Absolutely not!” Vernon snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. Already the blood was pounding in his ears, a signal that his temper was going to completely explode soon. “I refuse to let anyone teach him that codswallop! And I will not pay for any kind of lessons or what he needs to do that! No! My son will not be one of you!”
“If you don't, the Ministry will step in, Mr. Dursley. They'll take him away from you then put him somewhere to teach him. You don't want to lose your son, do you?” Arthur asked, trying to get through to the man as a father.
“My son is not a freak! He is perfectly normal and will remain that way! Put the binding back on!” Vernon snarled at the redhead.
That was all Severus could take. He had tried to stay out of it, really he had, but he was at the end. “Look, you giant buffoon! No one can put it back on!” He snarled at the man, face taking on a thunderous look. “We don't know who put the binding on in the first place, but that was illegal to begin with. The only ones allowed to put a binding on someone's magic is the Ministry. There is no record of them authorizing it. That means if they have to step in, someone is in big trouble. Let us help you! We can ensure you're not only protected from the ones that attacked you, but that your son is taught what he needs so he isn't dangerous!”
“I refuse to listen to any of you,” Vernon snarled. “Put the binding back on! I don't know who did it either, but I would have insisted on it anyway! I will not have a son that is like you lot!”
“You have no choice,” Severus told him, tone deadly. “Nothing anyone can do can put that binding back on. So, accept it! We now work from there. It's all we can do. Your son needs to learn to control his magic.”
“I refuse to allow that and will not pay for him to learn foolish magic tricks!” Vernon shot back. “You can't do an effing thing if I refuse to pay for any of it.”
“Dad, stop,” Dudley said softly, voice uneven.
“I will not, Dudders,” Vernon told him, eyes locked on the freaks around him. “You won't be a freak like them. I promise.”
“They aren't freaks. If they are, I'm one too. Because I don't want the binding back on. It feels—you don't understand! It feels wonderful, like I'm complete for once. Before there was always something missing. This is what it was. Just let them help.”
“No! I refuse!” Vernon snapped. Face going even redder than before, he snarled, “See? You aren't in their company more than an hour and they’re infecting you with their freakish ways! We'll find a way, Dudders, it'll just take time.”
“I don't want you to,” Dudley told him, voice uneven, as he shook his head. “I want this.”
“No,” Vernon bellowed, rounding on his son. “I will not have a freak for a son! If you want this, I won't help in any way! That means I cut everything off, Dudley! No money, no presents, nothing. I won't pay for any of this!”
“I will then,” Harry said, tone firm as he glared at his uncle. That was all he could take. Lifting his chin, he said, “If you won't, I will. I'll make sure he's taken care of and gets what he needs.”
Rounding on the freak that was his nephew, Vernon sneered, “You, boy? You're just an orphan with no money. You can't even take care of yourself, let alone someone else. If you could, you wouldn't have been dropped on our doorstep like so much trash!”
“I will as well,” Sirius said, tone deadly, eyes locked on Vernon. This—no! Bloody hell! And he thought his parents were bad! How Harry had put up with this over the years he would never know! And he wasn't going to allow Vernon to treat his own son this way.
“You're an escaped convict!” Vernon snarled, puffing out his mustache. “This is a joke!”
“I will help as well,” Lucius said in a smooth tone, one that contained serious bite though.
Not knowing who the blond was, Vernon shook his head. “Pardon me if I don't believe it.”
“I don't think you realize that the three that just offered to take over your son's care are among the three richest people in our world,” Severus told the red faced walrus, looking smug. “In fact, all three of them are richer than all but about five percent of the Muggles in the UK. They can easily care for your son financially. So, it's down to your choice, Vernon. What do you want to do?”
Eying the three then his eyes locking on his nephew, Vernon huffed, “This is all your fault, boy! You infected him or something! I knew I should have made sure you went into the system rather than care for you!” He was hurt and wanted to lash out, being blindsided in a way he hadn't in years, but that was cut off by the blond.
“It's not his fault,” Lucius told him firmly, at the end of what he could take. “Magic isn't something you 'infect' someone with. It's something you're born with. If you want to 'blame' anyone, blame your wife's family. That's where it came from.”
“And it will not continue on!” Vernon snarled at the blond freak. “We vowed to stamp it out when the boy came to stay with us. We didn't, though we should have. Now it wants to infect my son! No! I won't allow this! If he wants to be with you lot, it's his choice. I want nothing to do with him if that's what he wants.”
“Fine, we'll move you somewhere else and let your son stay here,” Severus snarled, hand itching to grab his wand and throw hexes. He stayed that, but it was a near thing.
Puffing out his mustache again, Vernon glared at the black haired freak, thinking it over. Without looking at Dudley, he said, “It's your choice, Dudley. Them or your parents.”
Looking at his father, Dudley was seeing him for the first time in his life for just what he was; a bigot and narrow minded. He had seen this with Harry for so long, but ignored it. Now it hurt and he was angry. “I chose to be me, Dad. That's all. If you can't accept it, it's your problem, not mine. I don't want to die a painful early death just because you're a bigot.”
“So be it,” Vernon said, lifting his chin and refusing to look at his son. “Take Petunia and I elsewhere then. You can keep Dudley.” That hurt, really it did, because he adored his son, but he could not and would not put up with this nonsense. It was bad enough dealing with it when it came to the boy, he wasn't going to tolerate it from his own offspring! He was also sure that this would change his son's mind on it and he would get with the program then agree to what he wanted.
Hearing the astounded murmurings around him, Severus tuned it out and focused on Petunia. Seeing her look sick and pale, glancing at her son, he asked, tone sharp, “Is that what you want, Petunia? To leave your son just because he has magic like your sister did? Is your jealousy over what Lily had so great you would abandon your own child over it?” Not stopping to hear an answer, though the woman was now focusing on him, eyes overly wide, he then smirked and said, “It was you that had the binding put on, wasn't it? I'm going to take a flier and say you went to your hated sister to have her do it when you realized Dudley had magic. Because she loved and would do anything for you, she did it. Despite what she knew could come of it. You hid it all these years, hoping against hope it would never come out.”
Trembling, Petunia looked at the man that awful boy they had grown up close to had become, taking in what he said. Glancing at her son, she felt her heart ache. It was just as he said; she had gone to Lily shortly after Dudley's birth when he had done some kind of accidental magic, demanding her sister do something so Vernon didn't find out. Lily had tried talking her out of it, almost begging actually, but she had been insistent. No, she couldn't handle it at the time. She hoped, eventually, Vernon could accept it and it would come off. If not, that Lily was wrong about the consequences. Now, well, it was out.
Shaking her head, seeing the still irate Vernon looking at her, she said, tone quivering though firm, “I'm not leaving my son. Even if the binding doesn't go back on.”
“You knew,” Vernon hissed, piggy eyes narrowing. “You had it done! You lied to me!” He finally bellowed.
“I knew and had it done,” she said, tone not quivering as much. Glaring at her husband, she said, “I hid it because you would have never accepted it. I'm not abandoning my son because you still can't.”
“Expect to hear from my solicitor about a divorce,” Vernon huffed, beefy arms crossed over his chest. “I want nothing to do with either of you and you can expect no support from me.”
“I'll take care of them,” Harry said, glaring at his uncle. “They're better off without you anyway!”
“I will as well,” Sirius said, putting a hand on his godson's shoulder. Looking around at the stunned and sick looks, he said, “Get him out of here. I imagine you have work to do to figure out what to do with him. Petunia and Dudley can stay here. We'll work with it from there with what's needed.”
Looking at Sirius, then glancing to the odious Vernon, Remus shook his head, not sure what to make of this. His parents had accepted him even after the bite from Fenrir. He couldn't even begin to fathom a parent abandoning their child and wanting nothing to do with them just because they were magical. Especially after doting on them all their life. That—oh, Merlin! And this would complicate the things going on, that's for sure, but they would work with it.
Sighing, Remus said, looking at the floor, “We have to figure out where to put him. Petunia and Dudley will be fine here.”
Stroking his beard with a trembling hand, Albus stared at Vernon. Already a plan was forming. He just had to firm up the details. Vernon's sister would be a good place to put him. After some memory modification that was. They just needed to put some wards up was all. “We have work to do and it's going to take some time.” He would deal with this, he had to, but this was not something he needed.

Once most of the Order was in the kitchen with Vernon, trying to figure out what to do, Sirius glanced around at those that were left. Thankfully, that was only himself, Harry, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Snape and Remus. Sighing as he looked at the obviously upset Dudley and teary eyed Petunia, he sighed then said, “Cissy, can you have your elves make sure that the room next to Draco's is cleaned out? The same with the one by Remus'? We'll put Dudley by Draco and Petunia down by Remus.”
“I'll set them on the task,” Narcissa told him firmly with a nod before summoning the elf in charge.
“Where's Harry staying?” Dudley asked, tone slightly uneven and containing plenty of emotion.
“He's up by me, one floor up from you,” Sirius told him gently. “Draco's the same age as you are, so you're fine. We'll shift around in the next couple of days to something better. Right now, this is all we have to work with. You'll be fine and no one will bother you, I promise. I think you'll probably sleep most of the night anyway, what with the binding gone. If you want, your mum can stay in there with you. I'm sure we can fit another bed in there.”
“I want to stay with him,” Petunia said firmly, though her eyes kept drifting to her nephew. She had been rotten to him all his life, as had Dudley, but it had been Harry that stood up for Dudley. Now she didn't know what to say to him and 'thank you' seemed so little. Clearing her throat, she then said that, adding, “It's most appreciated, what you did.”
“You're welcome,” Harry said with a nod, looking at his cousin.
“Let's get everyone settled for the night. Tomorrow we'll work out what we have to do. Like getting Dudley a wand and that. Not sure how we'll manage that one, but we will,” Sirius sighed. Walking over to Dudley, he motioned for Remus to join him. “Come on, Dudley, Remus and I will help you up the stairs. It might not be a good idea for you to go it on your own, what with how you're feeling. We'll get you settled in then see what we can do about sending someone for your clothes and things. You just rest.”
Draping an arm over both men's shoulders after he stood, Dudley looked at Harry then asked, “Can you come up and sit with us a bit? And try to explain some of this? It's—confusing.”
Smiling, then giving a short nod, Harry said, “I'll be up in a few. Let them get you settled then I'll come up. Nothing to worry about, Dudley, you're safe here.”
“Alright,” Dudley said with a little smile, allowing himself to be led upstairs with his already fretting mother trailing behind them.
Once they were out of sight and Harry was sure that no one was listening in, he asked Snape, “This is why, isn't it?” Though that was cryptic, he was sure the man got it.
“Yes,” Severus told him softly. “He would have died a painful death, probably before he was thirty if it was left on. It wasn't anyone's intent to cause harm.”
Thinking that over, Harry nodded then said, “Tell him I said thanks. And that whatever happens, they come with us. Aunt Petunia might not like this, but I'm not leaving him on his own.” Feeling Lucius put a hand on his shoulder, Harry looked at him.
“We'll manage, Harry. And I agree; they come with.” Lucius told him softly. “We'll do all we can to make the transition as easy on them as possible. I'll also make sure your aunt gets a referral to a solicitor so she can get support. Dudley is your uncle's son. He has to pay support. I'm sure she'll get some as well. Never fear, it'll be handled.”
“Good,” Harry sighed. “Alright, I'm heading up. Those two are bound to panic over some of what they see. It's best if I'm around to help. Aunt Petunia might not like me, but she'll take it better if I explain it rather than a stranger or someone she's frightened of.” Seeing nods, he then headed towards the stairs, not sure what to think.
Watching Harry go, Lucius looked at Severus, not sure what to say.
“He felt he had no choice,” Severus told his old friend softly. “It had to come, fast, before the plans you’re making come into play. We know it won't be easy, but it's best for it to come now.”
“Completely understood,” Lucius nodded. “It's just blindsiding.” Thinking about what Vernon said, he added, “And infuriating.”
“That it is,” Severus sighed, shaking his head. Stiffening up, he said, “I need to join the others. I would suggest that, maybe, Draco join the Dursleys and Harry. After all, he's the same age. It might help. Plus, everyone needs to work on trust. That has to be in place before this plays out.”
“We can do that,” Narcissa said with a smile, patting her son on the back. “We'll be upstairs helping all we can. Let everyone know that the elves can go retrieve whatever the two need from the house. That might be a safe way to go about this.”
“Good suggestion and I'll make it,” Severus said with a firm nod. Glancing up the stairs, he sighed then shook his head before sweeping off to join the meeting. It was going to be a long night!
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Through the Veil and Back Again