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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
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Chapter 32

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.

AN- To the people complaining about Petunia and Dudley's introduction to the storyline... First, I need them there. That's all there is to it. They have a purpose that will come out as I push towards the end. As I'm the only one that knows how this story will end, I'm the only one that knows what I have to get in it before then. This is one of those bits I need. If you don't like or can't accept it, I would suggest that you either use the back button or close the story and move on.

-Speedy

Looking at the door to the kitchen as she heard Lucius leave the house, Petunia was confused. Not only was it really late at night, almost one AM, but, from what she understood, Lucius was here so he was protected. Others had mentioned that he, his wife and son were staying in the house so that the maniac that killed her sister couldn't get to him because he had left the fold. This made no sense.

Shaking her head, trying to get rid of some of the fuzziness because it was so late, she finally asked, “As you lot said you'd explain what's going on, can we be filled in? And why is Lucius leaving so late? Isn't it dangerous?”

“He's fine, nothing to worry about,” Severus assured her, taking a drink of his strong tea. “He's going to assist in something that will get Black cleared. His help's needed in that. We're just here to ensure that no one from this side of the mess comes over and thinks anything is off while he's gone. Nothing more. That and to fill you in on as much as we can with what's truly going on.”

Taking that in, Petunia nodded slowly. As there were plenty of inklings, not to mention what Harry had said to her, that there was a lot here she and Dudley didn't know about, so she wanted filled in. Taking a bracing sip of her drink, she asked, “What's really going on, then? I assume it's big, what with all I've been told and how it was imparted not to trust Dumbledore.”

“Let's start with the easiest part first as it's something you need aware of to stay safe,” Sirius began the talk about Remus' furry problem. Seeing a horror-struck look on Petunia's face and serious interest on Dudley's, he said, firmly, “It's nothing to worry about. We have it under control. The night of the full moon he won't be around. We just need both of you to stay away from where he'll be holed up. Snape is already giving him the Wolfsbane.” Glancing at Dudley, he said, “Harry says that Muggles have movies about werewolves. I can assure you this is not something you want to see and is very dangerous. You need to stay away no matter how curious you are. I don't know how those movie things differ from what it's really like, but this is not something you ever want to see or be around. The fact that it's highly infectious if you're injured is enough to drive home how dangerous it is. And you can trust all of us when we say that this is not a life you want to sentence yourself to. We have some books you can read on it so you can tell the difference.”

“It's not something cool to see, Dudley,” Harry told him softly. “There is no cure for it either.”

Though interested, Dudley nodded. Looking at his obviously unnerved mum, he said, “I understand, though I would like to read about it so I know the difference.”

“We can give you plenty,” Sirius assured him.

Glancing around, eyes lighting on the mild mannered Remus, Petunia asked, “No offense—but isn't it dangerous for him to be here?”

“Not with the Wolfsbane,” Severus assured her firmly. “He's fine to be here. We won't tell you where he'll be staying to stave off issues, but no one in the house is in danger.”

“If I thought they were, I'd go elsewhere,” Remus told her firmly. “Just heed what everyone says. And stay away.”

“We need him here. That's blunt and to the point. The magic associated with him being Harry's temporary guardian is something we have to have. Even that night, if Albus tries something, as long as he's around, the magic will stop it. That we need. I give you my word that no one is in any kind of danger. We'll make damned sure of that.” Seeing nods, though Petunia looked plenty pale and apprehensive, Sirius pressed on, “We have a ton to fill you in on. What we're going to do is go over the basics, not the full mess, just so you know what's going on. If you have questions, ask. We'll explain it the best we can.” Seeing nods, he began walking them through the whole mess, starting with Albus then pressing on to the bond.

Now, Petunia prided herself on how well she was doing when it came to adjusting to this whole nightmare. Though it was painful and hard to take, she was pressing on, reminding herself as she dealt with the tough bits that this was what was best for Dudley. That and how it was time she had a relationship with her nephew. She had made mistakes, plenty of them, and planned to make that up to Harry. The first part of what was explained she handled fine other than her temper igniting on the manipulations that seemed to have gone on since Lily died. That she didn't like. However, as they got to the part about the bond, she was horrified. Though she skimmed the book they showed her, the fact that Harry was—well, she wouldn't say that, even in her mind, with two men, had her temper boiling madly. Glaring at Sirius during a break in the explanation, she hissed, “I don't care about a bond or whatever, Lily trusted you as his guardian. How you can—well, you know, with your godson is beyond me! That is sick! You are old enough to be his father!” Looking at Narcissa, she hissed, “And Lucius has a son the same age!”

Stepping in before this grew worse, Severus told her, firmly, “They had no choice! None of them. I'm quite sure that if they did, it wouldn't have happened. It was predestined. Though a bonding like this is rare in our world, it does happen. And unless you wanted your nephew to suffer the same way Dudley would have if that binding was left on his magic, it had to press on. It couldn't be helped. While most don't believe in prophecies and seers, the fact is your nephew is one. That's been proven.”

“I do not care! It should have held off until he was a legal adult! And it will not continue around me!” Petunia huffed, glaring at Sirius, who was just looking at her. “I do not want you or Lucius around Harry until he becomes a legal adult!”

“You have no say in the matter,” Sirius told her firmly, gaze unwavering. Now, honestly, he got where this was coming from. He really did. In the past, he would have loved for someone to stand up for Harry this way and look out for him. In this case, he couldn't let it go on. There was too much riding on what they planned for any of them to allow it to continue. Which meant that he had to put a stop to it. Once he did, they would manage to get her to see it the right way.

“I do so! I am his aunt!” Petunia huffed, face going red.

“Oh, that you are,” Sirius told her, tone taking on a hard edge. “The same aunt that shoved him in a cupboard under the stairs to live until he was eleven. The same aunt that treated him like shite. The same aunt that took a swing at him with a frying pan several times. The same aunt that allowed her husband to verbally and emotionally abuse him. The same aunt that considered him a freak, just like his mother, though her own son was Magical. The same aunt that couldn't be bothered to take her nephew to see his parents' graves. The same aunt that couldn't be arsed to impart the most basic of things Harry needs to know for so much. He then went through hell at school only to come home to abuse. The same aunt now standing up for him didn't care or bother to ask him what he was dealing with, just working him like a slave, not feeding him and generally making it clear she hated his presence and thought of him as a freak. An aunt that gave him no support at all in anything. Do you want me to continue, Petunia?” He watched her go pale, though her anger was still not abating. “Yes, I know all about that. And more. Your sister told all of it to me and told me to get Harry away from you, making it clear she never wanted him with you.”

“My sister is dead,” Petunia hissed, glaring at him, though her gut was curdling over what he mentioned. He was right, of course, something that made it worse.

“Indeed, she is,” Sirius told her, tone not changing. “So was I. I went through the Veil to my death. That's where I saw her and James, both. They knew just what was coming and told me it was fine. Harry, too, was dead. He went through the Veil right after me and was dead because of it. It was Harry that pulled us both back through. Ask Remus. He saw it. Lucius did also, as he was there as well. Snape knows what happened too. He heard all about it. It's not a joke, Petunia. Those wards around your house fell for a time because Harry was dead. That's why they were so weak. They came back up because Harry brought us back through the Veil. In doing that, it triggered the bond and seer aspect we're dealing with. There is nothing you can do about it, period. I don't care who you are. Harry, though not in my custody yet, can't be away from me or Lucius. You may not like parts of it, but it's there. We don't like parts of it and it's uncomfortable. Of course, you and Vernon's bigotry over bits haven't helped any of it. Having heard all you two spouted over the years has made it all the harder on Harry to deal with parts of it. That's a mess still. One we're dealing with. Whatever you think you can do is moot, Petunia. Remus may have custody, but anything Lucius and I say will override it and he knows that. Harry is, for all intents and purposes, in our custody because of that bond. You can't change that and getting righteously indignant over parts of it won't help anything. While I’m sure we all know where it's coming from and understand it, you need to stop, now. It's going to get you nowhere and just cause fights.”

Seeing the still furious look on his aunt's face, though she was pale, Harry rolled up his sleeve and showed her the 'tattoo'. “That's not a tattoo, Aunt Petunia. It's a bond mark. We didn't have it put there. Sirius has the same one and I'm sure Lucius will get it soon as well. It just showed up. We can't break it and there's nothing we could do to stop it either,” Harry told her softly. Shaking his head, he added, keeping his voice soft, “They won't hurt me. In fact, they can't. And they aren't making me do anything I don't want to. Think of it like I have two very powerful people protecting me for the rest of my life. Very few in this world would be foolish enough to take Lucius and Sirius, both, on over me. They'll always be there to protect me. Always.”

Reaching over and putting a hand on the obviously upset woman's hand, Narcissa gave it a pat then told her, gently, “They are telling you the truth. It's nothing you can change. I do believe this is a case that you're trying to make up for your past mistakes with Harry. We can all appreciate that. In this case, I think that you need to help in other ways. Your nephew does need you. You're among the last of his living relatives. That's a special relationship. Rather than trying to undo mistakes and step in to fulfill that past role, you build on what is here now. Harry still needs you, Petunia, but in other ways. Let Lucius and Sirius take on the role that was forced on all of them. It's nothing they can change.”

Lowering her voice, she said, gently, “I lost my husband over this. It's nothing I can change and I know it. Divorce is coming from it. I accept that because it's nothing I can do anything about. You can take on a role to protect Harry. One very important. We desperately need help with troublesome areas such as Albus. As he doesn't know that Remus has custody, you can act in Harry's best interest in that way. Help all of us keep him off-kilter so he doesn't find out what's really going on until we can get out. We need that, Petunia, and it will help more than you know.”

Looking at the elegant woman seated next to her, Petunia thought it over, eyes once more drifting to Harry. She still wasn't sure what to think.

“She's right, Petunia. None of us in this house would protect Black or Lucius if they were doing this for nefarious purposes. It's not something any of them had a choice in,” Severus chimed in, trying to keep the normal rough edge out of his voice. “You aren't familiar with bonds that just happen and tie people together. This is one of those, though, and nothing can change it.”

“Leave it, Petunia,” Sirius told her bluntly, still staring at the upset woman. “Harry isn't being hurt. You arguing with me and Lucius won't do you any good. You'll lose, that I promise. I get where this is coming from. Most here would feel the same way if we heard about a similar situation without knowing the background of it. In this case, there is a reason and cause. That you need to accept. If you don't, all you're going to do is give Albus an assist we don't need. As it is, we're on a tight timeline to get us out and keep him from pulling something we're going to have to scramble to counter.”

Looking around at those seated at the table then her eyes lighting on Harry, who was gazing at her, she asked, tone uneven, trembling slightly, “This is—I don't know. It's—you're both so much older! And—I don't know.” With that, she was feeling ill with herself as well. All Sirius had said was true and she didn't want the others at the table knowing how cruel she was to her nephew over the years. In fact, she didn't want to remember that herself.

“We didn't have a choice,” Sirius told her baldly. “I wanted a relationship with my godson, but not this kind. Harry felt the same way. Both of us liked women, not men. Lucius—well, let's say we weren't his chosen type either. It was a case of it came from Harry's linage and we were the two chosen to protect him. And I can damned well assure you that no one in their right mind is going to tangle with Lucius and I then come out on top.”

“How about this, Petunia,” Remus started, trying to work with the bothersome situation. Like the rest, he assumed he knew where this was coming from and thought if he had a way she could protect her nephew then start to make up for her past failings, she might handle it better. “What we can do is this; between you and I, we'll come up with some kind of signal so that if Albus does start with something we don't want him to, we can handle the situation. You'll take on the verbal role with him, something he would anticipate. While you do that, I'll work with my end to put a halt to whatever he's doing. As I don't have to be overt about it and can just slip it in, we can stop whatever it is. He won't get anywhere with us working as a team.”

Glancing at Remus, Petunia then looked back at Sirius, who was still watching her, a firm expression on his face. That was enough to tell her she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. Other than a huge argument she was sure she wouldn't win. Giving a shaky nod, she said, “I can do that. Yes, it's something we need to do, I think.”

“Consider this your fresh start with, Harry,” Sirius told her. “We won't mention the past and you won't interfere with what you don't understand. As time goes on, we'll work with you so you do finally comprehend just what is going on. Fighting with me or Lucius won't help anything. And it's not something you'll win.”

Gaze sliding to Harry, who was nodding, Petunia sighed then said, clasping her trembling hands on the table, “I can do that.”

“Good. We now press on. The past won't be mentioned again,” Sirius told her. “We start fresh. As Harry said, just trust us. We know what we're doing.”

“What's all this big to do about the moving and that? I don't understand it,” Petunia said, trying to slide to a more neutral topic, hoping that helped.

“We need out. All there is to it,” Remus told her softly. “It can't go on. Harry needs to be under the protection of someone else. That we're working on and it isn't happening right at the moment. However, what we can do is get us all somewhere safe. We think we have that. It's just going to take a few more days for me to get the right paperwork so we can start working towards that direction. I promise you that we'll be out before the start of term. Harry can't go back to school because of the bond. And we won't allow Dudley to fall into Albus' hands either. That's part of the reason you just need to trust us.”

“You have somewhere then?” Petunia asked, glancing around, refusing to meet Sirius' eyes.

“We think so. It's called Peverell Castle,” Sirius told her. “We just have to wait to get in it and see. It's the place we think James and Lily set up to protect Harry.”

“You own a castle?” Dudley asked, grinning. He had stayed quiet so he could listen. Then, well, it was because he didn't like what was said, feeling plenty guilty himself over the way he treated Harry over the years.

“Apparently,” Harry told him with a grin. “Haven't seen it, so I don't know what it's like. We'll see soon.”

“It's protected then?” Petunia asked, glancing around. She would deal with this. That's all there was to it. Then press on. It's the least she could do to protect not only her son, but Harry.

“We think so. It's something we have to wait and see on until we can get into it,” Remus told her with a nod.

Pressing on, Petunia began to ask about other things said as they were cryptic about a few of them. As she felt she had to know, she wanted filled in. After they were done, she would deal with the fallout.

Coming in about four AM, Lucius sat down on the bench by Harry with a tired groan. Looking around, he saw concerned faces, well, from most. Dudley had dozed off, as had Draco. Harry was leaning heavily against Sirius, but looked as though he were about to fall asleep himself. The rest looked plenty tired as well. Glancing around, he said, firmly, “We have all we need tended to. It's nothing to worry about.”

“What's coming now?” Sirius asked, holding the tired Harry close.

“He'll be in the hands of the Ministry this afternoon,” Lucius said smugly. “We've got something implanted in him to where he'll start confessing. In fact, it's going to look as though he turned himself in.”

Pleased with that, Sirius nodded, “How is going to work from there? And what can we expect?”

“What we've got is this; it’s going to look as though he's turning himself in because he's afraid of the Dark Lord coming after him. We've implanted a false memory that he made a huge mistake that would be perceived as betrayal. He's going to insist on a solicitor, of course, one he already retained, to fight being Kissed kept off the table then give up plenty, such as he was responsible for what you went to prison for. We're going to stack the deck every way we can to get this to play out the right way, including having him give an interview before turning himself in. That should set everything up we need. And get it out there so the Ministry can't hide it, also what we need. On the other end, the Dark Lord is going to press everything he has to get it through, fast. We're shooting for a timeline of a week and it should have you cleared. Well, that's what we hope anyway. If it takes a tad longer, we'll be fine. From here on out, we just need to act normal and go about our business, then continue focusing on getting ourselves out of this mess.”

“Good,” Sirius said, pleased with this turn of events. “We now just have to focus on getting the hell out before the start of term.”

“And a viable excuse as to why all of you vanished,” Severus added pointedly. “That we don't have a clue on.”

Looking at Snape, Sirius snorted then said, “We don't need one. I vote we just leave a small sampling of the parchments from the solicitor about what Albus did along with a note saying he can go screw himself. That if he wants to pull stunts like this, we aren't going to side with him. That will get it across quite nicely. Let him look for us. We'll be damned good and hidden by then so he'll have no shot at tracing us. It won't be until parts of this prophecy start to play out that's he's going to get it. By then, we'll have enough in place to handle whatever he tries to pull.”

Thinking that over, glancing at Severus, who was looking at him, Lucius nodded slowly, “That's a good plan. And it's accurate. He just won't know the whole reason behind it. We can leave enough that he knows we're onto his schemes.”

“We'll go with that as we don't have to set up anything elaborate,” Severus said, pleased. “The less complex we can make something, the better chance we have at succeeding.”

“Let Sirius, Remus and I work out the bugs and we'll start setting it up,” Lucius said firmly. Shaking his head then rubbing his eyes in a tired way, he sighed, “Let's find our beds. I'm sure all of us are beat. It won't do not to be on our toes.” Hearing affirmations from all, he stood, planning to find that comfortable bed of Sirius' and just sleep for a while.

Waiting until everyone left the room except Petunia, who Sirius had asked to stay, he waited for the door to shut and the footsteps on the stairs to fade. Looking at the woman, who appeared apprehensive, he said, “I'm not hurting Harry. And I won't snarl at you again provided you don't take after me. Understood?”

Nodding, though looking unnerved, Petunia said in an uneven voice, “Understood.”

“I don't like what you did to Harry. That's clear and I said that when I was at your house after term let out. However, as long as you start doing the right thing by your nephew, we're not going to have problems. Dudley wanted another chance with Harry. You now have that opportunity as well. Take it. Harry is forgiving. He's proven that with you and Dudley, both. And he never wanted anything to happen to you, despite how badly you treated him. This is your chance to make amends. Don't squander that chance or try to start a battle you won't win,” Sirius told her firmly. “Harry isn't being hurt. I would never, ever hurt him. Ever. I love him in ways you can't understand. Lucius wouldn't either. I do understand where this is coming from and that you're trying to make up for your mistakes, just do it a more constructive way. You won't help any of us if you keep on the same track, Petunia.”

“I will try, you have my word,” Petunia told him, lifting her chin.

“If you do that, you'll hear nothing from my direction,” Sirius told her honestly. “And all of us will help you and Dudley all we can in the process.” Smiling a little, he said, “Let's get to bed. That's enough stress for one night.”

“Indeed it is,” Petunia said dourly, shaking her head. With that, she wasn't sure how much rest she would get because she had so much to think about. She would try, though, then they would press on.

A.N.--Now, honestly, did you lot actually think Sirius was just going to play nice and not ever bring up what Petunia did to her nephew? That he is actually capable of ignoring that and pressing on like it didn't happen? Give me some credit, folks! LOL

--Speedy
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Through the Veil and Back Again