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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 39

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.

“If you would just reconsider your stance, Sirius,” Albus sighed, shaking his head. At the moment, he was trying to talk Sirius into helping him reason with Petunia about Harry going back to the castle. It wasn't working well, though. Sirius had dug his heels in, just as he had feared. That meant he had to try to reason with him, quickly. From what he heard that morning, Dick Smithee, one of the more powerful members of the Wizengamot, had publicly accused Cornelius of dragging his feet when it came to Sirius in one of the papers. And the man had named all kinds of Cornelius' shenanigans, some of which were bordering on being illegal. He was now sure that Sirius would end up cleared in a matter of days. If that happened and the magic associated with his position as godfather was activated, he couldn't do much but scramble and work with those involved. That wasn't something he fancied his chances with. “I do understand why you're agreeing, of course, but Harry is so much safer in the castle and we can keep a better eye on him. You know what a bothersome issue protecting him has been like over the years.”
“No, Albus,” Sirius told him with a firm shake of his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “This time I'm not agreeing with you. We all discussed it and I agree with Petunia. We're not going to budge on that stance.” Glaring at the old man, really wanting to snarl about all he knew was going on, he tempered it then snapped, “We can easily protect him, Albus. You should know that. Probably better than when he's in the castle. After all, that's not worked out well, now has it? He keeps getting pulled into what? You and the teachers are far too busy to keep an eye on individual students. That's been proven. Hell, Minerva is pulled in so many directions, she rarely makes an appearance in the dorms. The Prefects take care of whatever. This is better, if you ask me. We can easily handle whatever comes up, including those visions.”
“I think, in this case, you just need to take my word for it that Harry being in school is the best option. There is so much going on, Sirius,” Albus told him, hoping it would help as Sirius did trust him in plenty of matters. If he couldn't get Sirius to budge soon, he would go to Remus. Remus tended to be more level headed and could be reasoned with in a way Sirius couldn't. Then he would work on Sirius to get him moving in the right direction.
“I'm not doing that,” Sirius told him, a determined bent to his voice as he shook his head. “Unless you tell me what's going on and the why behind it, I'm not moving on the topic. That's all there is to it.” Eying the old goat, he asked, “What are your reasons? You're fighting this in a way you wouldn't with any other student. It sounds to me like there is more going on than what you're saying if you're pushing this hard. Especially since you've been trying to get Petunia and Dudley to build a good relationship with Harry since he was left there. Then you add in that Petunia lives here so the Blood Wards were added to the protections on the house. That has me wondering about the why here.” Stopping, he waited to see what the old goat would do as he was damned sure that he wasn't about to give up anything when it came to his plans.
“I'm sure that Tom has plenty cooked up, Sirius. The attack on Privet Drive alone tells us he's up to something big. I'm certain that the attack was meant to draw Harry out and into some kind of plan. What that is we don't know yet, but you know what he's like when it comes to such matters. The more of us around Harry, the better it’s going to be when it comes to his safety.”
Sirius wasn't buying any of that bullshite as that's exactly what it was; crap to spin him in circles without giving any real information. “We've known that for a long time, Albus,” he said honestly. “You're not telling me anything new with any of what you said. Petunia has the right to dictate where Harry goes. Bullying her into anything isn't going to help matters, for any of us. She has to live with all of us in this house for the foreseeable future, so I'm not going to try to convince her of anything. If we do that, it's going to end up making life miserable for all of us. Then Harry is going to get upset with everyone. That we don't need either. So, unless you have something specific when it comes to what might be going on, I'm not going to try to persuade her to change her mind. Harry either. In fact, Harry's going to get plenty upset with anyone trying to change her mind with no specific reason given that is one he doesn't know about. He's really protective of her and Dudley at this time, understandably. Then he's promised her to help all he could.” That's where he stopped, hoping it jogged more loose they could use when it came to what Albus was cooking up.
Shaking his head sadly, Albus wasn't sure what to do or how to get Sirius moving in the direction he needed. Sirius was saying plenty he was having problems countering as he didn't want to give up the real reasons behind so much. Now he had to see what he could do. “I think the time has come to not only protect Harry, but prepare him to defend himself.”
“And we're doing both,” Sirius told him bluntly, cutting him off. “Every single one of us in this house is more than capable of doing that, Albus. Probably better than he can get in school considering what his Defense teachers have been like since Harry started, save Remus. Hell, Harry did better teaching DA last year than most of his teachers have done when it comes to Defense. Add in Remus, me and Lucius and we can make damned sure he knows what he needs to, probably well beyond what he would get in school.”
“I do admit he can get more one on one attention with all of you,” Albus conceded with a reluctant nod. This was going nowhere and he knew it. Sirius wasn't about to budge. Which meant that he needed to go about it another way. “I think we'll revisit this again before term starts. Maybe we all need to think about the options when it comes to the situation.”
“That might be best,” Sirius nodded. Then to poke the old man, he added, “Petunia had her solicitor get the homeschooling papers for Harry. We're filling those out today. From what we were told, there are more coming we need to work on. It was our thought that we needed to get this started so it's all in place. If we didn't, there would probably be issues with the board.” That's where he stopped, trying not to grin, knowing what he had just done.
That Albus didn't like or need. Her signing those papers would get them sent back with a rejection quickly. As Petunia wasn't Harry's legal guardian, she had no standing to file them. Only he could do that. That told him he had to do something fast to stop that before everyone became aware of that end. “Just hold off on the papers for now. I'll make sure they all get through the proper channels when the time comes, never fear.”
“You better, Albus,” Sirius warned, trying not to glare. “Harry's serious about dropping out. If it looks like you're running them in circles, he's going to do it and I doubt any of us can talk him out of it. And, honestly, I can understand why. Don’t play with him.” That's where he left it, waiting to see what was coming.
Something else Albus didn't need either. He most certainly didn't need Harry taking that step as it was something he couldn't counter or undo because of his age. Even as his guardian, he couldn't undo it. No, he couldn't allow Harry to take that step, which meant he needed a way around this mess. Harry needed to be around him so he could prepare him for what he had to do to end this mess. He couldn't manage that if he was here all the time. It was better to do it without the influence of those that were in this house. “Let me see what I can do to come up with a suitable compromise to satisfy everyone. I'm sure there's something.” The only thing he could come up with was getting Dudley in the castle. He wasn't sure how he would manage that one, but he would find a way. It would just take time. Not that he had much of that, something he was well aware of, but he would do it. Somehow.
“If you can find something everyone is happy with, I'm all for it, Albus. I just don't see that happening.” Sirius shrugged, now wondering what the old goat had up his sleeve. This meant he had to get with everyone to keep on their toes for something he would pull out. They'd manage. They had up until now, so they could keep going.
Standing with a groan, Albus said, “Let me see what I can do. There's always a way. We just have to look for it, Sirius.” Watching the other man stand, Albus guided them out of the room, talking about tidbits he had picked up about Fudge. While he wanted Sirius cleared, it would bring more problems. He would manage to find a way to navigate through them. It would just take work, nothing more.

Filling everyone in on what Albus said then getting the same from Remus, as Albus had talked to him as well before he left, Sirius looked around then said, “He's going to try to pull something. What it might be, I don't know.” Focusing on Snape, who was there as well, listening intently, he asked, “Any idea? I don't know what compromise he could come up with, honestly.”
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, going over what he knew of Albus, Severus then asked, “He said compromise?”
“That's the word he used, yes,” Sirius told him with a nod.
“He did with me as well,” Remus added, glancing at Severus.
Groaning, Severus shook his head then said, “The only thing I can come up with is somehow getting Dudley into the castle. Let me see what I can do to poke him slightly and get some answers. Just—this we need to worry about. We've taken most of it out of his hands, but he's probably going to pull something out. That means we need to counter it.”
Listening in, Lucius thought over the mess then said, tone distracted, “I say we just have Petunia fill out those papers and sign them, for both Dudley and Harry. Dudley's will go through, obviously. We need that done before Albus can pull anything out of that ridiculous sleeve of his. Harry's will kick back because she's not his rightful guardian. We'll get another set and have them filled out. The second Sirius is cleared, he will sign them. That will stop plenty of nonsense in its tracks.”
“Go that route,” Severus nodded, looking around. “Let me see what I can manage, but that will stop it, as Lucius said. Then we'll work from there.” Sighing, he shook his head then added, “We need Black cleared as fast as we can. I know what was in the paper today only helps, but we need this done within days, before Albus comes up with something. I'll go see what more the Dark Lord can do to push it. Today's article was at his prompting. He might be able to do more.”
“If I read what was there right, though I bet not everything that was said to the reporter made it in, knowing what Dick is like, that was the foreshadowing to Sirius being cleared. Dick going to the paper and snarling will tell Cornelius he needs to move. I bet he will within the next 48 in a final attempt to keep his job. It's quite doubtful that it's going to work, as the public is probably less than pleased with what was said in that article,” Lucius schooled, looking around. “Cornelius has dug his own grave with this mess, that's all there is to it. We all know it as well. Everything is coming out. I'm certain one, if not more, of the papers will start running plenty of scathing exposés about some of what he's done in office to point out that it hasn't been above board. Then there will be sympathy for Sirius, as it's quite clear he is innocent yet Cornelius is refusing to clear him. Dick made it clear, from what we read, that everyone on the Wizengamot, other than a couple of Cornelius' puppets that would agree without question that the moon is a giant Gobstone, know he's innocent. They also have to realize that, as the governing body, they are ultimately responsible for him going to prison without a trial, even though that was done before most of them were on the panel. That will not make any of them look good.”
“Too bad we can't have you go start pushing some of your contacts, Lucius,” Severus grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “The Dark Lord has plenty, but yours were more high profile and were apt to listen to you. We can't, though.”
“No, even a note from me wouldn't help at this juncture,” Lucius admitted with a shake of his head. “It has to play out as is. I can't prod. It's my thought that in the next two days we should have some resolution.”
“Is there any way you can think of to nudge this faster, Lucius? Something the Dark Lord hasn't? And to distract Albus? We need him off the track he is on, fast, before he pulls out something we can't counter. With what I just heard, he's going to try.” Severus asked, hoping Lucius could come up with something that the rest of them hadn't thought of. The Dark Lord was good and had his own contacts, but Lucius was far better with the inner workings than any of them for various reasons. That and he knew just who to poke and how to go about it.
Pondering that, Lucius groaned, not sure what to recommend. Shaking his head, he said, “The only thing I can come up with is that prophecy Harry made. As it's not listed under his name, if we could get it leaked, it might help plenty. Not with Albus, but with Cornelius. Getting someone, somewhere to run a story about that might help. It would have to be fast, though.”
While staying quiet, like Narcissa, Draco, Dudley and his aunt, Harry was paying attention to all that was said. At this point, he thought he might have something to help with the Dumbledore part. “You lot have a transcript of the old prophecy, the one that Dumbledore was going by, right? Someone told me that, I think.”
“We do,” Severus confirmed with a nod. Looking at Potter, he asked, decidedly curious where this was going, “Why?”
“Can't you leak both? They are big. We know that. The first one is invalid, of course, but anyone can figure out what it means. That should send Dumbledore scrambling as the whole Order doesn't know what it said, from what I know. The new one—that means Fudge. If you could get it to someone, fast, and get them to run with it, couldn't that help both?” Harry asked, looking around.
Taking in what Harry said, Sirius rubbed a hand over his mouth the lifted his gaze to Lucius, who was glancing his way. “That sounds like it could work, at least to me. What do you think, Lucius?”
“It could. We have copies of both, obviously. It comes down to getting them to the right person and motivating them to do what we want. I'm sure the Dark Lord can find someone, but the politics might trump the juiciness of the prophecies.” Lucius said, tone distracted as he thought it over. This might be what they needed for so much, but it came down to figuring out the how.
Chuckling, grinning just slightly, Harry asked, “Could someone persuade someone to write it, a reporter obviously, if you have a bit of dirt on them that could get them in real trouble?”
Seeing that look on Harry's face, Sirius couldn't help but grin himself then asked, “What do you have on someone? This has to be good.”
“Rita Skeeter. She's an unregistered Animagus, a beetle. That's how she gets the stories she does where there isn't any other way.” Harry explained, grinning bigger. Looking over to Draco, who was smirking, he added, “Ask Draco.”
“He's right,” Draco said with a smug look. “That's how she got some of what she did for that tournament.”
“Oh, I'm quite sure the Dark Lord could persuade her to do what we need,” Lucius said smugly. Looking at Severus, who appeared quite pleased and was smirking slightly, he said, “Pass that along. I'm sure that it can help our side plenty in the future.”
“Rest assured, I will. When we're done here, I'll go pass along the suggestion. Skeeter is the kind that will make it sound good enough most won't ignore it as it'll be too juicy. She's won't have an issue taking after Albus either. I'll let all of you know what was said and planned when we're done.”
Though lost when it came to most of the conversation, Petunia picked up enough that she was curious. “Leaking those prophecies can help? Are you sure?” All she really knew about such areas was from the 'Muggle perspective', which meant they were viewed with suspicion. She knew Harry could, obviously, as she'd seen it, but wasn't sure how it was viewed.
“Oh yes,” Lucius assured her. “We view them differently than Muggles and know there are plenty that are valid. There are charlatans, of course, as anyone would expect, but there are many that are true and are proven as such. This—as we have the prophecies and the Dark Lord has contacts in the Department of Mysteries, getting them out there can stir up plenty that can only help all of us. It won't with the mess Sirius is dealing with, but it can with other parts.”
“Let me go pass this along. We need it done fast to help,” Severus said, standing, hands planted on the table. Looking around, he said, “Anything else comes up, send an elf.” Seeing nods and hearing assurances, his gaze then slid to Harry. Smirking again, he nodded to him, “An excellent suggestion, Mr. Potter.”
“Thanks,” Harry said, flushing slightly, but grinning. He was just glad to help in some way as he wanted out of here as fast as they could manage it.
Watching Severus go, Lucius looked at Petunia then said, “Let's get on to filling out the papers for both Dudley and Harry. We want them off, fast. If we can get it done tonight, it's going to help.” Seeing her nod, Lucius sent an elf for what was discussed then waited. He hoped they had just hit on something that could give them what they needed to keep all the balls in the air until they could get out. That's all they were shooting for right now. The rest—it would sort itself when they were out.

Looking over her notes then to the copy of both prophecies she had been given by the stranger that came in, Rita was excited. No, she didn't like feeling pressured by whomever it was that accosted her at the bar, as they had a darkish feel to them that made her wary, but what came of it was magnificent. Though she also didn't like the fact that someone else knew about her Animagus form, she would ignore that for now, as well as the fact that she felt she was going to end up on the 'hook' with them when they needed something, she adored what came of it. Two prophecies, both confirmed by an Unspeakable she knew, one who she knew a few things about that she used to get what she needed from time to time. This—oh, it was good and the story would be big. It wasn't as big as what was playing out, of course, but big enough to garner plenty of attention and would probably end up on the front page.
Picking up the translations of both prophecies, she glanced between them, smiling as she did. They were huge. And she meant huge. The one that wasn't invalid was playing into what was going on right now. She knew from plenty of sources she had that Fudge was probably on the way out. He managed to hang on after the mess in the spring, but this—it was big enough that it might push the winds at his back hard enough to blow him out the door. Especially since the name Serpentine Seer was attached to it.
Rifling through the mass on her desk, she found some of the research material about that particular seer from the past. Yes, she would need that as most wouldn't know what it meant. As long as she had it, she could go with it.
Focusing on the other prophecy, the one she was assured was invalid, she frowned slightly, her forehead having lines in it between her eyebrows. This was big as it was, even if invalid. Sources in various places told her that Albus Dumbledore had been highly interested in this prophecy. She even heard in a few places that he had people guarding it last year. It was the whole focus of that bit in the Hall of Prophecy as well. So, it had to mean something huge. Glancing at the translation, she smiled a little, getting it. Oh yes, this was big! It would go nicely with so much. As it was, she had amassed a huge file on Albus Dumbledore in preparation for when she might be able to use it. Now was the time, she thought. In fact, she might be able to do a whole series on the man. Her thought had been to wait until he died so she didn't have to worry about a lawsuit, but she could manage now. After all, it was all verified, just not always in ways that were strictly legal. She also doubted, what with some of what she had, he would take her to court over it. If she could prove it, he couldn't do anything.
Smiling ferally again, she swiveled her chair to where she was facing the typewriter. It was time to get to work. Summoning all the research and sorting it, she gave her wand a wave over the typewriter then began to dictate, her notepad hanging in midair. Yes, this was good and she was bound to get the article on the front page in some way. If she worked it right, it could be like a tie-in with the political part.
The clacking of the typewriter sounded far louder than it should as it echoed in the dark and quiet offices of The Prophet as Rita worked, something she ignored. It was late anyway and she knew that she would be busy until just before time for the paper to go to the press. It was then the managing editor would come in. So, she wanted this perfect. That would take hours, but she would gladly put them in.
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Through the Veil and Back Again