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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 33

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.

Taking a seat in one of the small parlors, after ensuring that Harry was in the kitchen, Remus looked at Petunia and smiled. She appeared to be on edge, as would be expected after the night before, so he started out by assuring her, “Nothing's wrong, you have my word. I wanted to get with you before I went out today is all. Harry's birthday is tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to get him something. If you do, I'll take care of it while I'm out today. That's the whole purpose of the trip, actually.”

Relieved, Petunia gave a vigorous nod. “I do. Well, I wasn't sure what to do about that as I just didn't think about it while we were out shopping the other day.”

“As would be expected, what with the stress and all,” Remus soothed. “Is there anything you had in mind you thought he might like? Either Magical or Muggle? Or don't you know?”

“I just don't know,” she admitted softly, shaking her head, eyes lowered. Sighing, she added, “I'm not sure what he needs either.”

“Sirius took care of almost all of what he required before they came here for the summer. That's nothing to fret over. Would you like me to pick out something for him? Sirius gave me a list of what Harry likes in plenty of areas. I can easily use that to pick up something nice from you.” Chuckling, he added, “We already got him a new broom, so that's not needed.”

“Please do,” she said, relieved. “All of you probably know better what he would like than I would. And can you get something from Dudders as well?”

“I'll handle it,” Remus said with a smile. “Don't worry, I'll pick out something good. I'm doing the same for Narcissa, Lucius and Draco as well. I'll pass whatever it is to you when I get home.” Sobering up, he added, “I also wanted to prepare you slightly for the fact that tomorrow evening we'll probably have plenty of company. Harry's birthday alone will be enough to have many coming over. All the Weasleys will probably be around for that. There will also probably be plenty of Order members as well. Then that article is supposed to hit. If it goes as planned, Peter will turn himself in today, which means we may have chaos. I want you and Dudley, both, to stay on your toes. If either of you feel something is off or concerning to you, signal me and I'll step in to get you out of it. That or Sirius, one of the two. Narcissa said that she would try to stay next to you. That should hold off problems. I will as well. Don't let it overly stress you, of course, just be wary.”

“I'll be mindful,” Petunia told him in a firm voice. “Is there anyone in particular I need to worry about? Or just the ones I already know about?”

“Just the ones we've talked about,” Remus assured her. “If anything else seems off or you get that feeling, just do what we discussed. It's nothing to worry about.” Chuckling softly, he added, “The Weasleys are a large brood, I'm warning you now. And on the loud side. Be prepared for that. I'm going to talk to Molly and Arthur today so you and Dudley don't get the cold shoulder from them. I don't think you will as Arthur and Bill were there the night—well, you know.” Seeing her look down at that, he added, “Nothing to worry about. As long as you're trying to make amends, something we know you are, they won't say anything.” Seeing her nod, he pressed on to a more neutral topic, “Can you tell me a bit about popular Muggle sweets or other snacks? We know Harry likes some of those. My thought was to get him some as a present. I just don't know what I'm getting for some of it is all and don't want to grab something that is horrid tasting.”

Pleased to be on a different topic, one she actually knew about, she said, “Well, I do know he likes Mars bars. That and Coke. Those are dead common, of course. There are some crisps I think he fancies as well. If not, I can give you a list of what I'm sure he would like.”

Pleased with that, Remus took note of the names she mentioned. Coke he knew, of course, as he did the Mars bars because Harry had requested those before, others he didn't and hoped to get a few clues as all of them were a tad lost as to what to get for Harry.

That afternoon, while working with Dudley on the basics of Charms, Harry's brow furrowed as he heard the front door open. Most of the summer they were pretty much left alone, so he was wondering what was going on. Glancing at Sirius, who looked up as well, he then stared at the door, waiting. When Professor Moody came in, he was on edge slightly. That was someone they had to stay on their toes around.

Glancing around, Alastor sat down at the head of the table with a grunt then said, bluntly, “Kingsley got word to me that Wormtail turned himself in. They have him in custody and are trying to figure out what to do with him.”

Trying to look surprised, making sure his eyes were overly wide, Sirius asked, “Really?”

“Yes, lad,” Moody told him with a firm nod. “They've confirmed that he is just who he says he is.”

“This is great!” Sirius said with a huge grin. Though he knew it was coming, it was still wonderful that it was actually happening.

“I don't know much as Kingsley was only able to get that out to me. We do have something we need you to do, though,” Moody told him seriously. Seeing Sirius nod, still grinning as he did, he said, “Albus said get in contact with a solicitor if you know one. Quickly. If you don't, let me know and I'll set you up with someone. You need to act now, lad. The faster you can get one hired, the better off you're going to end up. I'm not sure what's going to happen with Pettigrew, but if they have him, your solicitor can push for you to get cleared, fast. That you need.”

“Oh, I know one, don't worry,” Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear. “I'll get in touch with him today to let him know. After that, I'll let him take care of it.”

“Do that, fast,” Alastor said, looking at him. “He needs to go in and start screaming as loud as he can. The more he does, the faster you'll end up cleared. We want that.”

“You bet your arse I will!” Sirius told him, unable to stop grinning. “As soon as you leave, I'll send Hedwig with something then go from there.”

“Good,” Alastor nodded. “I'm sure you'll need to go out to tend to this, just be damned careful, Sirius. Don't take any unnecessary chances. No sense in causing problems for yourself when it looks like the end is in sight, finally. As soon as we know more, we'll get in touch. I'm sure we can come up with something. Albus is going to do all he can to learn just what's going on.”

“Let us know when you find out, Alastor,” Remus said, smiling himself. This was wonderful and it was playing out just as Lucius said it would. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

“As soon as we know something, we'll fill you in. Don't worry. We'll get information somehow so that we can pass it along. Just expect plenty of visitors in and out for the next couple days.” Standing with a grunt, he said, “When I know something, I'll be back. Just don't count on it today. The Ministry has to be scrambling now to deal with this. Let's see what plays out.” Before walking out, he said, “Expect the Hogwarts letter tomorrow. We have plenty to work out there as well, from what Albus said. And we're not sure how to do it. Even he isn't. From what he said, he's getting with the Board to see what they can do about Dudley. The same with Draco. We're not sure we should chance sending him back. He'll let you know when he comes up with something.” With that, he gave a nod then left, false leg thunking on the floor as he did.

Waiting until he heard the door shut, Sirius looked around, still grinning, “Perfect. Utterly perfect!”

“It worked out just as you said, Lucius,” Remus observed, smiling himself.

“Indeed.” Lucius admitted, looking slightly smug. With a serious look sliding over his face, he then schooled, “Get Hedwig off now to get your solicitor down to the Ministry and start howling, Sirius. The faster he gets there and leans on the DMLE and Ministry, the faster you'll end up cleared.”

“Gotcha,” Sirius nodded, snagging a blank piece of parchment and starting to scribble out a note. “I'm also going to have him start the paperwork we talked about.”

“Good idea.” Lucius said. “The sooner we can get everything in place, the better off we're going to be.”

While Sirius tended to that, Remus asked Lucius, “As you were on the board for so long—what would they normally do about someone in Dudley's situation? I know it's rare, so I have no idea what might come of it. If we can get a hint, we can prepare for whatever or counter something Albus might try to pull.”

Thinking that over, drumming his fingers on the table, Lucius then sighed and said, “Normally, unless they've rewritten parts of the charter, Dudley would have to end up homeschooled unless he wants to attend class with first years. There are absolutely no provisions I can think of that would allow him in the castle with special classes to get him caught up. As far behind as he is, it's almost impossible to catch him up, honestly. There is also the fact that the teachers just have too high a workload to even ponder taking on a student that far behind. So, unless Petunia would consent to him ending up with the first years, he won't be allowed in the castle.”

Seeing Petunia and Dudley, both, look upset at that, Remus sighed then said, “On one hand, that would work well to keep Dudley away from Albus, but it doesn't help matters for us in the least.”

“It may,” Narcissa said softly, looking around.

“How so?” Lucius asked, curious as to what his wife might be thinking.

“I'm not sure how workable this is, but it'll buy us time,” Narcissa admitted. “We can say there is no chance we'd be willing to allow Draco to go back. We can even get Severus to come up with something as a reason he shouldn't. I'm sure he can manufacture some excuse. Then have Petunia say that she's not willing to stay here with complete strangers and have them take over so much. Have her insist that Harry stay. It would work well to make it look realistic. Albus may fight it, but it'll buy us time. You said there is paperwork that needs filled out to pull Harry out of school, ones that are going to trigger with the board. All this will be is buying us time to work towards getting out. As Albus doesn't know the custody of Harry has changed, Petunia can demand that as his legal guardian. That will leave him scrambling as he would either have to go with it or reveal that she isn't.” Stopping, she waited to see what everyone said.

Looking at Sirius, who had stopped what he was doing and was glancing his way, Lucius gave a slow nod. “It may work. At the very least, Albus is going to end up pulled in several directions to deal with this. Sirius being cleared means that he can take his rightful role in Harry's life and Albus can't counter it. He's then going to fumble to work with what was just dumped on him.”

“I say we go with this and see where it leads,” Remus said, looking around. “It's just a stopgap measure to give us time. That way if Sirius can get those papers through, the ones that will trigger something at Hogwarts, Albus can't do anything and will fumble. All we need is time, nothing more.”

“We'll go with this,” Sirius said with a firm nod. Looking at Petunia, he asked, “Is that fine with you? And something you think you can pull off?”

“I'll do it,” Petunia told him firmly, giving a nod. Softly, she added, “It's something I would ask for anyway. This is hard enough as it is. To be left alone with all of you, despite how easy you're making it, is something I don't think I can handle, honestly. The same with staying cooped up all the time with people I don't know coming over constantly.”

“We'll do this,” Lucius said, pleased. “Narcissa will sit with you this afternoon to work out how best to phrase this without looking like we planned it. That way we're prepared. She knows just what she's doing, don't worry. All you have to do is make it sound good. We can take it from there.”

“Let's get Severus over. It won't look odd for us to do that, thankfully, as he would show up with anything he may know or heard to pass along. He can help as well. At the very least, so he knows what we're planning. He always has good advice on just how to go about something,” Narcissa told everyone, looking around. “He may be able to come up with something to throw Albus for a loop that we can't. If what we're planning is right, we only need a few short weeks. I think we can manage to buy that. At the very least, keep Albus thinking what he wants while we work towards the goal of getting out.”

Sirius nodded. “Get with Petunia and Dudley this afternoon and do what you can to come up with something that sounds good. Then we'll see if we can get Snape over. I'm going to say be wary as we have no idea who else will show up.”

“We'll do that,” Lucius nodded firmly. “Let me get a message to him. I'm sure Albus already contacted him about what's playing out. We can go from there with it.” He was pleased with this. Though they were dead certain that everything was covered and what they set up would work, there were always spanners in everything. At least the first part was playing out the right way. That was helpful. Which meant, that whatever else might come of it could be dealt with or worked out. Perfect.

“What did you need to talk to us about?” Sirius asked, settling on the bed with Harry between his legs and leaning back against his chest, petting Sir Hiss, who was lounging over his legs. While Petunia was working with Narcissa, Lucius had commandeered the two of them, saying there was something private he wanted to discuss with them.

“The bond,” Lucius said. “I've been thinking about it. This just wasn't something I wanted to bring up in front of everyone.” Seeing the two nod then Sirius motion for him to press on, he said, “I think it would be a good idea for us to consummate it as quickly as you're both comfortable with doing so. We have it partially activated, but as we scramble to get us out and try to counter whatever Albus might throw our way, it's just another form of defense he won't be able to work around as he won't know about it. That and get it to your solicitor that we've done that as fast as we can manage. I'm sure we can all hold off any foolhardy scheme Albus may try, but desperate men do desperate things. We all know this. You getting cleared, thus being able to fulfill your role in Harry's life, is going to push him towards desperate to work with what is there.”

“And another thing I don't think any of us considered,” Sirius admitted. “A good idea, too.” Looking down at Harry, who was gazing up at him, slightly flushed, he said, “How about this; Harry makes that call. When he's comfortable enough, we go for it. The reason we didn't is moot now as we know just what's going on, that you're telling the truth, all that. When he feels he can handle it, we'll go for it. Alright with you, Lucius?”

“Perfectly fine,” Lucius said with a pleased nod. Gently, he said, looking at Harry, “How about you and I spend time talking over the next couple of days so you grow comfortable with this. I can lay whatever fears you have to rest on many matters. I give my word, as I did before, no poking fun at anything.”

“I can do that,” Harry said, still flushed. Feeling Sir Hiss wrap around him tightly, though not to the point it hurt, then hearing the snake mutter reassuring words in his ear, making sure the other two didn't hear them, he sighed, “Let's see what I can do.”

“All we ask,” Lucius said honestly. Gently, he added, “When Sirius is cleared, I would ask that you start communicating with the Dark Lord through the link. We're going to need his help with so much of this. To do that, we need to start a relationship.”

“When he fulfills his end, I'll do what I said,” Harry replied honestly. “We'll then go from there.”

“Though not privy to his reasonings behind what he did with Dudley, I do believe that part of it probably has to do with showing his sincerity to you, Harry. That is your cousin, someone you were trying to build a relationship with and didn't want harmed. He also made sure no one in that house was hurt when he did it. I believe that counts immeasurably.”

“It does,” Harry admitted. “And I told Snape to thank him for it.”

“Good,” Lucius smiled. Changing tracks, he said, “Severus sent a missive. He's aware of what's going on, of course. What he told me was he'll be over this afternoon sometime. The old man wants to talk to him, of course. So, we'll get some more information on what's going on with that. He does agree that this is a plan that is a good idea. Let's see what he says when he gets here. As he always has a perspective we don't, what he has to say can only help.”

“We'll go with that too. Just so it sounds good and makes the old man scramble, we can go with it,” Sirius told him honestly. “That's all we need. Once we get those papers, we should be able to start moving, fast.”

“Which we need as well,” Lucius admitted with a nod. “It's my hope they'll show up in the next day or so then we can press on and move quickly.”

“What I'm going to do is this,” Severus said, looking around. “I'll put a bug in Albus' ear about keeping Draco away from the school. We'll come up with something about someone wanting to go after him as retaliation against Narcissa and Lucius. With him thinking they defected, he won't question it, especially if I name names. I'll then push for him to keep Draco out of the castle and with Narcissa and Lucius. That is something he should accept easily. After all, it's the whole reason for keeping them here in the first place. It should help you. I won't get involved in the other end, other than to look good and appear normal.” Looking at Petunia, he added, keeping as soft a tone as he could, “To make it look good, expect some sarcasm and snark. That's what Albus would expect from me and the role I have to play in this. Don't take it personally. I assure you that it isn't meant to be that.”

Giving a snort and rolling her eyes, Petunia told him, tone dry, “I grew up near you and put up with your sarcasm for years when we were young, so it won't bother me a bit. In fact, it would be considered normal with what I remember of you, Severus.”

“Very true,” Severus said, looking slightly smug. “I do tend to forget about that.”

“As long as I know it's an act and you don't mean what you say, I'll deal accordingly,” Petunia told him.

“It is, I promise you. My intent in all this is to help all of you, nothing more,” Severus assured her. Pressing on, he said, “Go with the bit when it comes to Petunia. I can easily see where this would be considered normal from her. And expected, honestly. It'll throw someone into a panic. That we need. Let him plan on Harry going back to school, as he would expect to win in the end, but keep pushing. I'm going to say to have most of you agree to what Petunia wants. The same with Harry. That will send him scrambling and fumbling. We need him as off-kilter as we can keep him so we can continue to sneak around. The more he focuses on something like this area, the less he's apt to put his nose in others. I'm also going to add to go with the official bonding forms as soon as you can manage it. And, for the sake of all of us, keep them hidden the best you can until you're out. That way even if Albus tries wiggling around Black, he won't be able to manage around Lucius. If my information is correct in that, you would both be his legal guardians.”

“That's what I was told as well,” Remus confirmed with a nod.

“We desperately need that to keep Albus from pulling something out of his sleeve that we can't anticipate,” Severus told everyone firmly. “If you're both in place, he can't wiggle around you as that bonding is something he can't counter, no matter what he does.”

“We'll do what we can, Severus,” Lucius assured him. “We just need Sirius cleared before we do that. I don't want to chance him being on the precipice then this somehow getting out to anyone. That would just counter so much of what we're trying to accomplish.”

“That I do agree with,” Severus nodded, sighing as he did. “Let's see what we can push from the other end to get this done, fast. We should be able to manage with all that was set in place. He knows how urgent it is to counter what Albus may pull. That and I'll get with the old man to see, first, what I can figure out when it comes to his plans, and, second, what I can counter or use to throw him off or focus elsewhere. I'll come up with something.”

“We'll press from our end. As soon as we get those papers, we'll get into that house to see what needs done then go from there to accomplish it as fast as we can, Severus,” Remus told him, tone determined. “We know what a tight timeline we're playing with.”

“All we need is to keep him running in circles for a month. No more than that,” Severus said, looking around. Glancing at Petunia, he smirked and added, “You blowing up on the old man may help. If you get the chance, go ahead. Just leave out what we can't reveal yet.”

“Oh, I won't have any problem doing that,” Petunia said in an icy voice, lifting her chin.

“And mum will love doing it, too,” Dudley grinned, seeing Harry doing that as well. “It'll be fun to watch, too!” Oh yeah, his mum was mad enough over so much that this Dumbledore seriously needed to watch out. She might not have magic, but he knew she could make it sting plenty. And it would be a right riot to see! This was all good, though. At least he felt better knowing that everyone was trying to make sure it all went just right so they were protected. Which meant he just had to worry about the areas where it came to him. That made this oh so much easier on him. A plus was that he was not only getting to know Harry, but becoming real friends with Draco. He liked that, a lot, and it was worth all they were going through. That was great!
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Through the Veil and Back Again