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Weapon	By : uqui Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 105432 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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10/08/2012

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! And to those who rated!

This chapter hasn't been beta'd yet, so please be gentle.

I highly encourage everyone to go read my new fic 'The Forever Game'.

Read this chapter first though! Please :D

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Weapon LXXVIII – Half of the Truth

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Voldemort held Severus's gaze with his own. The Potion Master was fighting him but it would only be a matter of time before his defences were unravelled. He hadn't had that much time to work on the man in the days since he'd been captured but already, the Dark Lord had found the desire to anger him so as to find death. That wasn't going to happen. He was curious though to know what the Phoenix was doing but so far his former spy had kept that information from him.

Snape's robes hung around him, ripped and torn and they probably did nothing against the pervasive cold of the dungeon but the Dark Lord didn't care. He was slightly surprised the Shadows hadn't taken the Potion Master but for the past few days they had been scarce.

:We've been busy,: they said as if summoned by his thoughts.

Xoui raised her head to look at the inky darkness the coalesced on the floor before she once again appeared to go back to sleep, coiled around the Dark Lord's body. Anyone who knew anything about Basilisks though could tell that she was faking, the tip of her tail twitched far too rhythmically as she listened.

"Oh," Voldemort turned away from Snape, ignoring the way the man slumped against the wall. In many ways he would have to thank the Shadows, Snape would go to them but it appeared he would get the satisfaction of torturing the traitor as well.

:We finally found them.:

"Found whom?"

:Xuld, Xal and Xentor.:

Xoui hissed and gave up the pretense. "Where?"

:Where do you think?: The Shadows did not bother to hide their scorn. :Where we suspected they were, but have only now been able to penetrate and only because she has been distracted.:

Xatarass came to the fore with a long hiss. "Are they in immediate danger?"

:We don't think so. The woman doesn't seem to be gathering for a major attack.:

The serpent seemed to nod in understanding as man and basilisk thought about their upcoming schedule and dates of power. The next full moon was a blue moon which would be best for destroying wards on a one to one basis. "Thank you for the confirmation, I will fetch them with all haste," the basilisk said before looking towards Xoui. "Go tell the others that vengeance will be within our coils shortly." The smaller basilisk nodded and slithered to the ground before exiting the cell.

"Now," Voldemort said, turning back towards Snape. "Where were we?" He pushed his mind out and once again slammed into Severus defences. Once he knew the extent of Severus' betrayal he could move on to other punishments. He would just have to apologise to Harry if he killed him before the Shadows took the Potion Master.

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Sirius sat back, relaxing. He'd spoken to almost every non-human he could, gathering support for the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix and finally, after months on the road, he was able to report back. Tomorrow or the next day he'd be at Hogwarts and he'd be able to at least give Remus his moral support for the upcoming Blue Moon and he'd be able to spend some time with his Godson. He missed them both more than he thought possible.

:Could you delay?:

The wizard didn't even deign to answer that question with a snarl.

:We mean it, could you delay?:

"I have spent months on the road, wasting my time, trying to find a whole lot of creatures who did not want to be found. I have wanted to be back at Hogwarts with Harry and Remus and now you ask me to delay?" There were times when the Shadows made sense to Sirius, when the goals were so clear and their actions so understandable that he forgot they weren't human. And then there were times like this, when they were completely and utterly out of line.

:Think about it,: the Shadow's said, unconcerned at the anger they could feel from the canine animagus. :Once you get back, every hour of every day will be watched, and assigned and busy. Both Dumbledore and the phoenix will have things for you to do, and sure you will get some time with our Master and with Remus but it will not be much and it will all be watched, if not by the Order, then by the vampires. Out here though, you are a free agent, you can come and go and all you have to do is report in every once in a while.:

Sirius closed black eyes. "What do you want done?" he asked. The Shadow argument was persuasive and true, but that meant nothing. They wanted something. He could feel it, just as he could feel their ingenious little smile.

:A few little things, most of which are far more easily accomplished without watchers and are preparatory for what will happen.:

"Such as?"

:As soon as Remus wins that battle, you know the Werewolves will be joining us. It would be nice if we had the initial preparation done to make them feel welcome,: the Shadows said without actually saying anything concrete about what they wanted done.

"What do you want done?" Sirius asked again.

:We want you back with our Master,: the Shadow's said, suddenly changing track. The canine animagus recognised one of the older Shadows taking the lead. :Never doubt that, because we want someone guarding his back, but we need preparations made as well or else we will fail. You have a unique role in Wizarding society Sirius and in the next year, you are going to have to use that position, but for now, your best ability is your relative freedom from observation.:

"How much longer?"

:Christmas, at the latest. We are not sure how one or two things will work out but if they are not settled before then, it won't make a difference.:

"There is really no other way?"

:There are other ways,: the Shadows admitted. :They just aren't as efficient or easy. Why do you think it was Dumbledore and the phoenix wanted you on this mission?:

Sirius blinked as the Shadows seemed to change track yet again. He'd learned though that often when they seemed to change the topic, they were actually presenting something from a different point of view. Now why had Dumbledore sent him on this mission? "Because I had the name and the ability to find those who didn't want to be found," the canine animagus said slowly. That was the reason the Headmaster had given him anyway.

:That's part of it,: the Shadows agreed, :But not everything. There are others in the Order who could have found any creature and negotiated. Why you? Why did he want a veritable celebrity to be out of the lime light? And you are a celebrity you know. You are the only man known to have escaped Azkaban and with your exoneration with the capture of Petrigrew, you are an honourable warrior who was wrongfully imprisoned. That plays well for the papers, not to mention the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. All of that plays well for the papers... So why were you sent into the middle of nowhere?:

"Why me?" Sirius questioned idly as he thought. He hadn't really had any plans for this year beyond fighting and he really was just one fighter... But the way the Shadows phrased their question raised another. Why did Dumbledore want him away? Why didn't he want him spending time with Harry? Because that's essentially what he was missing out on wasting time out in the middle of nowhere. What was so wrong with him spending time with Harry?

:Perhaps because you would have insisted things be done properly,: the Shadows voice suggested slyly.

"What's happened?"

:Our Master is serving with the Aurors, though in a limited manner. He's enrolled in four Masteries.:

"Four?" Sirius couldn't keep the pride out of his voice, though the Auror news was worrying.

:Yes; Transfiguration for his Father, Charms for his Mother, Defence Against the Dark Arts for himself and Care of Magical Creatures for fun,: the Shadow's voice also echoed with pride.

"Go back to the Aurors. I made myself very clear on that matter."

:You did. Too clear it seems and the phoenix was never one to let little things like rules get in his way. The Order needed a weapon. Our Master is that weapon. And no matter how young, or how unprepared, our Master had to fight this year. There was no way Dumbledore or the Phoenix would have allowed anything else. They couldn't afford to. And no protective Godfather was going to stop them.

:Now that they have him in combat, you will be allowed some time with him, but they wish to control him. Since we, and you, know exactly how controlled our Master is, we don't mind but later in the year, he is going to need you as his guardian to help.:

"Such as?"

:Oh little things. He needs to visit Gringotts and you can escort him without either Dumbledore or the Phoenix thinking anything about it. And there will likely be some Wizengamot sessions. But before that can happen, the Phoenix and the Headmaster need to believe they have complete control.:

Sirius laughed, the noise like the barking of a dog before he sobered. The day would come when Dumbledore, when the entire Order would know exactly who they had given their future to without checking. It was their own fault. No one asked the obvious questions. They assumed that even after everything they knew had happened to Harry that he would still go along with them. What reason did they give Harry to trust him when they had made such bad decisions? Even he had made bad decisions. He wouldn't do so again though, that's why he was currently doing everything in his power to help Harry now.

He'd seen how much Harry loved the Dark Lord and even more surprisingly he'd seen the reciprocation from a man he had considered evil incarnate. That was enough for him. As unlikely as it was, the Dark Lord would see to it that Harry was both loved and happy. And he, the last of the Black's had promised James that he would see to it that Harry happy and if allying with the Dark Lord made Harry happy then that is what Sirius would see happen. The rest of the wizarding world would just have to live with it, somehow.

:It won't be that bad,: the Shadow's interrupted his thoughts. :With our Master's influence, we think you will find the policies to be more than acceptable. They will certainly be more fair than the current Ministry.:

Black eyes closed almost tiredly and Sirius sighed. "What do you want me to do now?"

:We promised the werewolves Wolfsbane potion and the supplies need to be purchased and the lab stocked.:

"You have a Potion Master?"

The Shadow's actually laughed. :You are going to love them.:

"I'm going to hate them," Sirius sighed. "Just tell me it's not Snape."

The Shadows were silent.

"Snape?! You have to be kidding me!"

:He is a good Potion Master,: they said somewhat defensively.

"He's probably the best in the world," Sirius said in a rather uncharacteristic admission. "But that doesn't mean I like Snivalus."

:Thankfully, you won't need to deal with him much, if at all.:

"All right, I'll delay but you owe me."

:We are going to owe everyone before the year is out,: the Shadow's grumbled.

The canine animagus laughed. "Probably," he said with a degree of happiness he never really expected to feel. "Though, while you and I have time now, I want an explanation about something."

The Shadow's seemed to look him up and down. :What's wrong?:

"Nothing's wrong," Sirius said "but I want you to explain what you meant when you said you don't feed anyone power, you only enhance or guide already existing power."

:It means exactly what it sounds like. All the things you have done, you have done using your own power.:

"There is no way I could kill vampires like I did in the Atrium," he objected.

:Sure there is,: the Shadow's replied. :You have the power and you killed them. We simply guided the way you used that power, helped it along a different path than the one you usually use, a path that made it more lethal to vampires.:

Sirius was silent for long moments as he thought, "So that's why after doing things for you, sometimes I feel so tired?"

:Yes. You are using your own power, your own magic, we are just guiding it a little, making it more precise for example, more accurate.:

"When I broke into the Auror Headquarters and took out those guards, it was you who angled the shield so precisely?" Sirius remembered that. He'd cast the shield, expecting it to block the stunning spells of the Aurors and it had, but it had done more, it had rebounded the spell directly into one of the other guards. He had been vaguely aware that a wizard of Dumbledore or even the Dark Lord's calibre had that level of fine control over their spells, but it was a skill he never thought to have for himself, even if it was applied from the outside.

:Yep!: the Shadow's admitted happily. :Think about it. What have you done in our service that you could not have done under your own power? Oh we've honed and guided, especially in that fight with Kisha, we showed you how to move, but it was your power that did all the work. In the Auror Headquarters, we merely acted as eyes and ears, letting you know where everyone was and how fast you needed to move. It was you apparated in, and cast the magic to take down the guards. It was you who took down the warding runes and who did everything else.:

The Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black was silent and seemed to be deep in thought. The Shadows were admitting to something else here... He just couldn't see what but he could feel it. Their admission was too easy, they were too calm. "Wait a second! I apparated through Hogwarts Wards... How did I do that?"

:This is the problem with Wizards, you think wards are completely solid. Wards usually come from Runes. Runes are lines, and even if they encircle each other, there is always a gap somewhere. It's usually too small for anyone to notice, a micro-millimetre but if you know where it is, you can slip through it.:

"And all that is a lovely explanation which means nothing," Sirius snorted. He recognised bullshit when he heard it, even if it was remarkably logical and almost believable.

:Eh, it was worth a try. The truth is so much more boring. Hogwart's let you through, just as Hogwart's always let's our Master through.:

"How is that possible?"

:The original magic that makes Hogwarts what it is came in part from Godric Gryffindor. Despite his reluctance to use our power, and to acknowledge his full heritage, it still formed his magic. All the wards, old and new for Hogwarts pull on the original magic that created the castle. And if all the wards pull on the original magic, and we are a part of that original magic, then doesn't it follow that we can manipulate it?:

"That's fine, but I don't have your power or even the signature of your power."

:Unfortunately, you do. You aren't meant to, but you do. Remember what we had to do to revive our Master after that brat killed him?:

Sirius nodded. How could he forget that?

:It changed you as well. Not as much, because you aren't our Master, you don't really have the ability to support us. But it changed your magic signature enough that when we back it, when we support it, anything looking for our power will see it reflected in your power and will therefore recognise you as a part of us. That's what happened when you apparated through the Hogwart's wards. The castle itself recognised you as us, and hence as a part of its foundational magic and it allowed you through.:

"All right. That at least makes more sense now. Though how the hell did I get into the Dark Lord's stronghold? Because you aren't going to trick me into thinking his wards share a part of your magic, or that they have gaps!"

:Why are wizards never happy?: The Shadow's muttered the question to themselves. :Our Master goes through the Dark Lord's wards in two ways, sheer power and by unconsciously asking his Lover's magic to recognise him. They are linked at such a level that they don't even realise it. You got through...: the Shadow's trailed off. :Actually we aren't sure how you got through... We didn't even think about it at the time, we just made sure you could get through...:

Sirius laughed, but he did not feel merry. "Great, just great. So for all you knew, I could have splattered up against his wards?"

:No! We said we made sure you could get through and we did. Splattering wasn't an option. We'll have to ask one of us who is with the Dark Lord. They will know how you did it.:

"Well... At least you didn't say it was magic," Sirius said softly. Once they admitted they weren't sure, he'd been half expecting that explanation, though he still had the feeling he was missing something, and it wasn't how he apparated through the Dark Lord's wards. It was something bigger, something that would change everything.

:Actually,: a different Shadow voice said with a speculative note, :what if both our Master and Sirius go through the Dark Lord's wards because he's already opened them up to our power? Our Master could use power to get through them, or he could use his link, but I don't think he did. I think the wards recognised him and therefore us. After all, if the Dark Lord has an alliance with us, wouldn't we want our servants to be able to come and go? And that's what the Ministry and the vampires believe Sirius and our Master to be... our servants who occasionally render service to the Dark Lord.:

"Check for me," Sirius said. "Because I don't want to find out I used a hole the first time that he's now closed up so I get splattered the second time. And I know you, there will be a second time."

:We will, because we want to know ourselves.:

He still felt like he was missing something but that it would come to him in time. "I want you to teach me something."

:Hmm?:

"Whatever I did to the Vampires, I want you to teach me to do that consciously - without your guidance."

:We can do that,: the Shadow's said though Sirius could detect a small note of doubt in their voice. It wasn't about his ability though, it felt like it was about something else.

"What do you doubt?"

:It's been a long time since we had to teach so we hope our explanations are acceptable, rather than instinctual.:

"And it's been a while since I've been a student, so don't worry, I'll just keep complaining until I get it."

:We are sure you will. Can you cast the Fidel Charm still?:

"Yes, what do you need me to hide?"

:Nothing yet, but soon.:

Sirius nodded before he sat back again, looking up at the sky. The air was cold but he didn't feel a chill and the almost full moon was just beginning to rise. "Go away now," he said suddenly. "I want to contemplate what insanity has made me agree with you to delay." And he wanted to think about what he was missing with the Shadow's admission that it was his power that had done everything.

:Good night Sirius,: the Shadows said by way of farewell and the sense of their presence faded as the canine animagus settled down for the night.

Another month wasn't that bad, not if it meant their eventual victory and not if the others were busy... But so help him, if Dumbledore got Harry injured in that month... there would be hell to pay. The Dark Lord would have to race him to see who could kill the ancient wizard first because Sirius was sick and tired of all the short cuts and bad decisions everyone seemed to make around his Godchild. It would end. It had to end and he would see that Harry was happy, no matter the cost to the rest of the world.

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Harry sat with Hermione and the others in an empty class room. Ron and Neville were busy scribbling a Potion essay. Even with Snape missing, no one was neglecting their homework. They were here mostly for the company. Luna and Ginny were also present but the two of them were so deeply engrossed in a project it was doubtful that they even knew where they were. He'd helped Hermione go through some Arithmancy homework earlier and now she was running ideas by him. When the news about Azkaban had broken he'd been unable to ask her if she could come up with a way of killing Dementors, but he'd managed to slip the question to her a couple of days later, and give her the information on the one method currently known to kill them. The muggle-born witch had been as horrified as expected about the amount of effort it took to kill one and had promised to think about other methods.

She had, and now she was running them by him to see if he thought any would work. Harry was actually of two minds. Yes, it took a lot of energy to kill a Dementor but so what? The Dementors were loyal to the Dark, they would not attack him or anyone loyal to the Shadows so why did he want them dead? Or a method to kill them? Yes, sure he was the Light's Weapon but this could perhaps be going too far to prove his worth. They already had to use him and he was already proving that he was indispensable, he didn't have to go further and besides, he already had a method that was a lot simpler than the Ministry method and he was not about to share that information with them.

"You never ask me easy questions, do you Harry?" Hermione mocked complained with a smile. The harder the question the better she liked it and Harry knew that.

"So what did you find out?"

"They really are disgusting creatures," the brown haired young woman shuddered. "I honestly don't know why the Ministry has dealings with them... Or had dealings with them. I came up with a few ideas but I don't know if they will work."

"What are they?" Harry asked gently.

"High level fire charm, something like Fiend Fyre."

Harry shook his head after considering it. He'd never read it, but he could clearly see the words on a classified report held by the Unspeakables about what Fiend Fyre did to Dementors. It stopped them but it did not destroy them, not completely. And mostly they just rose out of its range. There was some thought that if you could trap them in an enclosed area with the fire then it might be acceptable, but who wanted to go down with them? That particular theory might work but had never knowingly been tested.

"That seemed the most likely one," Hermione said, before looking down at her list again. "Other high level elemental spells aren't likely to work. Earth, air, water, while they have destructive power, they tend to leave bits and that won't work on a Dementor."

"That's true. You have to destroy them completely."

:Or eat them completely.:

:Shush you!:

"The problem is the way they are put together," Hermione mused. "They actually have no soul, which should make them easy to kill but actually makes it harder since they aren't alive in the way we think about it."

"So like a vampire?" Harry provided the question though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, like a vampire, though given that vampires are comparatively easy to kill I think they still maintain a connection to their souls. A dementor has had its soul removed so there is no lingering connection. I tried finding out if Dementors die naturally."

Harry raised one eye brow. That was an interesting question and one he hadn't considered. Did Dementor's die naturally? They would almost have to... eventually... They were soulless and they did have a physical presence as well as a magical one but neither of those could be eternal. The physical body if nothing else would eventually collapse into dust. It would take centuries but it would happen, which might explain the Dementors affinity for ice. Ice would preserve their bodies for as long as possible... which suggested that if you accelerated their decomposition, you might be able to kill them more easily. So a chronological charm combined with heat and maybe a farming fertilising charm...? Hopefully Hermione hadn't thought about this.

Hermione had continued speaking while he'd been considering. "But no one knows if they do or they don't. And I don't think they'd answer that question so I had to go on to something else. Emotional charms like the cheering charm probably wouldn't work though it might confuse them for a little while."

"They don't work," Harry said with a small smile. "They've been tried. Let's face it, the cheering charm is one of the first we learn and because of that, it's one of those charms plenty of people practice when trying to train themselves in wandless magic. As a result, it's been cast on Dementors a fair bit and it doesn't do anything to them."

"I should have known," the muggleborn witch sighed. "So emotive charms are a bust?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Regional affect charms are also out."

"Yes, those are pretty ineffective."

"Darn it!" Hermione huffed. "I can think of plenty of things to slow them down but destroying them is another matter! You could dimensionally shift them but that isn't fair on the dimension they get dumped in... though there is one method I thought of but I don't know how you could possibly try it."

"What is it?" Harry asked with some interest, thankful that Hermione seemed to have left out a few proposals.

She looked sick but gulped and continued. "Dementors are so indestructible because they aren't really alive. I don't suppose you could interrupt their magic streams?" She asked suddenly.

"You might be able to on a one to one basis," Harry said without giving it much thought. Interrupting their internal magic stream was a part of the Ministry proscribed method of destroying Dementors. "But on a large scale, no. You've got to think about them almost like witches and wizards in that manner, what you can do to one, you can't necessarily do to a group, at least, not at the same time."

"Well that leaves the other way. If Dementor's aren't really alive, then if you could somehow make them alive in the way we know it, then they might be more destructible."

"So how do you make them more alive?"

At this Harry swore that Hermione actually turned green. "They aren't alive because they have no soul. To make them alive, you'd have to give them at least a bit of a soul..." she whispered the last.

Harry was surprised. He knew the witch would consider all options but that one was... It made him feel sick as well. How... where did you get a bit of soul from? Souls were... Souls were sacred. You wouldn't want to use your own and you couldn't in good conscious use anyone else's... And then there was the fact that it might not work... Harry frowned as he considered it... It probably would work but he really didn't want to try it. He looked over at Hermione. She seemed downcast, though he didn't think she was disappointed. "I think... I think that would work," Harry heard himself say. "But I don't think anyone would want to try it." He added the last with a soft smile.

She smiled back at him, laughing softly. "I don't think so either. So they are still unkillable."

"I'm afraid so," Harry sighed. "But tell me what your ideas were to slow them down, I think I'll probably need them."

Hermione smiled and pulled out another list. "I thought you might," she said.

Harry grinned at her, "Thank you," he said sincerely. "It may not seem like much to you Hermione, but this does mean more than you know."

"It's no problem Harry, it really is no problem. I'm happy to help."

"Just being there is a help," Harry said sincerely and was slightly surprised that he meant it. Knowing that they were there for him, knowing that while they didn't understand everything his friends were trying to be good friends to him was enough. He hoped their friendship would continue but for now, just being there was enough. He smiled at Hermione and said nothing. There was nothing more he could say.

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I highly encourage everyone to go read my new fic 'The Forever Game'.

Rate and or Review this fic first please though!
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