Author's Note: I own neither Sherlock, nor the Harry Potter series, nor Fiddler on the Roof. Contains non-graphic slash.

Chapter 4: Look Through Your Book

As Mycroft Holmes knew well, ambiguous threats could be very effective, especially if they came from someone who had the power to carry them out and was known for doing just that. So, of course Rita Skeeter came to him before publishing her article. Mycroft edited it until it was as good as unrecognizable and she grumbled, but the changes were made. Mycroft looked through it one last time, before finally declaring it satisfactory.

The final result showed on the front page of the Daily Prophet the next morning:

SCANDAL: HARRY POTTER'S SON ADMITS TO HOMOSEXUALITY

By Rita Skeeter

At a family dinner on Saturday night, Albus Severus Potter, son of Harry Potter, announced that he was gay and proposed to his longtime partner, a muggle by the name of John Watson. Albus Potter had only recently returned to the wizarding world, after running away to the muggle one, ten years ago. Harry Potter has yet to comment to the press, though at the time he congratulated his son on his engagement. - continued pg 9

A photograph of Albus from his Hogwarts years, juxtaposed with a current photograph of him accompanied the article. How Ms. Skeeter had obtained them, was something Mycroft was confident he would rather not know. Not like that would stop him from finding out.

The first page was as much as most people would read, but it would suffice. The minister of magic should make an official statement within the next few days, as should the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If his father played his cards right, his official announcement would follow his personal endorsement of his son, and would be deferential to his superiors. If he could get Sherlock and John to send in a humanizing statement, that would be ideal, but they had already done their part, for the time being.

A tapping at the window alerted him to the arrival of an owl, it was his mother's. Of course, she had realized that he was behind it. He was tempted to send the owl to his brother and let him explain that he had agreed to it, but it was Mycroft's plan and therefore his job to explain. And if his mother had realized he was behind it, she had also probably realized he was working with Aunt Hermione, which meant she had also received a similar letter...

Mycroft shoved open the window and let the bird in. It landed on the perch and he took the letter from around its leg. He left the window open, expecting another owl at any moment, and sat down in his chair to begin reading:

Dear James,

Why didn't you or your father tell me that you had Rita Skeeter covering dinner last night? You are in so much trouble! Both of you! And your father tells me that Albus agreed to this? If anything happens to him! I don't believe either of you! You could have at least told me!

Much love,

Mum

Mycroft let out a sigh of irritation and set about replying:

Dear Mother,

I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. Albus did agree to it, though I was the one who came up with the plan in the first place. We did not tell you because we agreed that it would be best to tell as few people as possible before hand so that it didn't seem staged. Albus's safety is our top priority and if anything happens I will take the blame, though I have a feeling that Dr. Watson will get to me before you do.

Sincerely,

James S. Potter

He sent the owl back to his mother just as another, his father's snowy owl, flew in the window. Mycroft considered just sitting by the window, with all the owls he expected to receive, but his chair belonged in front of his desk, not by the window, and he wasn't about to sit on the floor all day. He could move the perch to his desk, with a towel under it. Probably be the best option.

But first for his father's letter, he removed the letter from the bird's leg and returned his desk, scroll in hand:

Dear James,

I've been receiving owls all morning asking for an interview about Albus's announcement. What course of action do you recommend? Also, I want to warn you, your mother is furious at us for concealing everything from her. She's already sent Hermione an owl and is sending you one as I write. I hope this will get to you before hers does, though it could go either way.

Dad

Dear Father,

Just take the interview with the Prophet and congratulate Albus. Give him and Dr. Watson your blessing, or the like. The truth should suffice. As head auror, wait for the Minister of Magic to make his statement or owl you with what to say. I wouldn't want you to lose your job over this. I already received the owl from mum and sent a letter back explaining the situation. I hope that helps.

Sincerely,

James S. Potter

Mycroft stood once more and attached the role of parchment to his father's owl's leg. Then, before any other birds could arrive, he picked up the perch and set it on his desk, on top of a stack of old newspapers, all neatly folded to cover just the right amount of area. It was just in time too, because another owl flew in, this time from the Minister of Magic herself:

Mr. James S. Potter,

Why did you permit Rita Skeeter to publish your brother's announcement? I thought you said you had her under control, unless you're trying to pressure me into action. If that is the case (as I am aware it most likely is), you must understand that I can't do anything without public support. I congratulate your brother on his engagement, but hope you know what you're doing. The law is the law, after all, and there is only so much that can be done. I speak for the entire Ministry of Magic when we say that we do not want your family as our enemy, but there is only so much that can be done with public opinion as it is. That said, I would like you to attend a meeting in my office tomorrow at 10am, sharp, with Ms. Robins, so that we can sort things out.

Sincerely,

Cho Chang

Minister of Magic

Mycroft couldn't say he was surprised by her approval, her husband – she had decided to keep her last name – happened to be a muggle with two mothers. It wasn't common knowledge, but nor were most things Mycroft knew. The official response was equally unsurprising. He took his time to compose a reply:

Madame Minister,

I assure you; I have Ms. Skeeter under control and am prepared to take care of any and all backlash from my brother's announcement. I will pass on your congratulations. I understand your predicament and can confidently say that the family will think no less of you for what you must say and do. My father will make his personal statement in the Daily Prophet tomorrow and will wait for you to make his official statement. I am honored to attend the meeting.

Sincerely,

James S. Potter

As he finished his letter to the Minister of Magic, the flood of owls from the family began. Most would have gone directly to Sherlock, but by then they all knew he lived with muggles and that if they wanted to contact him, they were to do so through Mycroft. Everyone had fairly similar questions anyways, so he supposed it wasn't as bad as it could have been, though it was dull work.

"Is Albus okay?" they asked, "Is Rita Skeeter telling the truth?" Mycroft quickly replied to them. His responses were almost identical, hold a few variations here and there, depending on the individual.

He even read through Uncle Percy's essay of a letter and wrote a quick answer that amounted to saying he had the situation under control. Finally, he sent away the last owl, a reply to a letter of congratulations from Uncle Charlie. He was done. A feeling of relief washed over him and he took a moment to just breathe. Eventually, he picked up his phone and dialed Sherlock's cell phone number. No answer, not like Mycroft was surprised. Almost the instant he closed his phone, it rung with a text from Sherlock.

"I'm doing an interview with Aunt Hermione on Wednesday. - S" it read.

"Good. - M" Mycroft texted his reply with a frown.

His brother's refusal to just pick up the phone, was irritating as ever. Then again, when was Sherlock anything less than infuriating? Mycroft concluded, as he had done several times before, that Dr. John Watson had to have the patience of a saint.

After a moment he typed, "Both you and Dr. Watson are holding up fine? - M" and sent the message.

There was a long pause before the reply arrived, "Yes, thank you. - J"

"Don't you have better things to do? Wars to cause? Dates to go on? - S" followed almost immediately.

"It is thanks to me that you do not have to go on those dates. If you would like to, carry on, but otherwise, I recommend that you desist. - M"

Mycroft waited for a few minutes, but as expected, there was no reply. He glanced out the window. There were no owls in sight, just an endless expanse of grey clouds, interrupted only by the occasional bird or airplane that crossed it. His father and the Daily Prophet were probably dealing with the brunt of the backlash, but Mycroft was content to leave them to that. There was a reason he preferred to stay out of the public eye. Anyways, he had already wasted too much time that should have been spent doing his usual job.

The next morning was like any other. Mycroft woke up at an hour most would consider downright absurd, especially considering the time he went to sleep. He then checked his phone for any missed calls – there were none – and answered all the emails he had received that night. After a quick, cold shower and a small, light breakfast, he made his way out of his apartment. He left the building talking on his cell-phone with both the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defense and the United State's Secretary of Defense.

Still talking on the phone, he got into the Ministry supplied car, which took him to his office. The call lasted for an hour more, once he got there, until finally the Secretary of Defense, and then the Permanent Under-Secretary, hung up. He closed his phone with a loud click and turned to the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, folded neatly on his desk, as it was supposed to be.

The front page was adorned with a photograph of his father smiling at the camera an arm wrapped around the shoulders of a bored-looking Sherlock. The headline read, "HARRY POTTER SUPPORTS SON!" Mycroft unfolded the front page and set about reading:

In an interview yesterday, Harry Potter claimed to stand by his son despite his homosexuality and even supports his son's decision to marry his partner. When questioned further, Mr. Potter explained that he has always found the sodomy laws to be outdated, citing the fact that many muggle countries legalized homosexuality a long time ago and some have even legalized marriage between so called, "same-sex couples." He said that he had done what any father would have and beseeches the rest of wizarding London to permit his son, and the countless others like him, to love whomever they choose.

Harry Potter wasn't the only one to comment on Albus Potter's announcement. Hermione Granger, founder and head of WWASL, announced her support of her nephew's decision to "come out" to the family, in a press conference yesterday afternoon. She expressed her hope that the environment will soon be such that other, like minded, witches and wizards will feel comfortable doing the same. Minister of Magic, Cho Chang, said yesterday that she didn't want to be at odds with the Potter family and hoped they could come to some sort of agreement.

But it was far from all well wishes for the couple. Yesterday, Demelza Robins, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, announced that they would be prosecuting Mr. Potter, as he had admitted to breaking a law...

And it went on.

Mycroft read the article through, before flipping to the letters to the editor, what he had been most interested in seeing. The responses were mixed. Over half were adamantly against Sherlock, but there were some anonymous letters in support of him, and even a few that had been signed. Things were heading in the right direction that was for sure.

Then again, he wouldn't have put his plan in action, in the first place, if they weren't. He had only bothered because he had noticed things nearing the tipping point. Just because he didn't seem to care, didn't mean he wanted his brother – or John Watson for that matter – to be jailed on his account.

As soon as he finished looking through the paper – reading the articles that caught his attention and skimming the others – he glanced at the clock. It was almost ten. He spent the remaining 12 minutes answering the usual assortment of emails from the Queen herself, assorted underlings, and everyone in between.

Finally, the clock struck ten and he approached the fireplace in his office, specially connected to the floo network for just this sort of occasion. He threw in a pinch of floo powder and the flames turned a bright, emerald green.

"Minister of Magic's office." He announced, before stepping into the fire.

He closed his eyes as he began to spin downwards into the fire and beyond. The spinning stopped and he opened his eyes to find himself in the office of the Minister of Magic. The Minister herself sat behind her desk, talking to Ms. Demezla Robins, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Mr. Potter." Ms. Chang announced upon his arrival, "Just on time."

"Madame Minister." He greeted them each with a smile, "Miss Robins. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you." Demezla Robins stood and replied, shaking his hand.

The department head resumed her seat in front of the Minister's desk. The Minister pulled out her wand and summoned a chair for him. Once they were all seated, the meeting commenced.

"We believe that we have no other choice than to prosecute him," Cho Chang began, "The Department of Law Enforcement has a responsibility to uphold the laws, no matter who commits the crime. If there is enough of a backlash, Mr. Potter could be pardoned, if the Wizengamot doesn't acquit him on the grounds of it being an invalid law, but at this point, the latter is unlikely and the former could go either way. As Minister of Magic, I find it only fair to warn you that if you choose to go against us, we will have no choice but to prosecute you as an accessory to the crime."

Mycroft grimaced. This was not the result he had hoped for, though he had expected it. "What of Dr. Watson?" he asked.

"The muggle? He's not under the Ministry's jurisdiction. Though I recommend that he not try and interfere, we have already bended the Statute of Secrecy for him."

"I will do what I can to make sure he stays out of the way, though I warn you, he will not let this go without a fight."

"Do what you must, or we will be forced to obliviate him."

"Very well." Mycroft replied and turned to Ms. Robins, "Is there anything that can be done about the sentence?"

"A maximum of two years is your final offer." was her answer.

Mycroft sighed. Apparently, this was just an informational meeting; everything had already been decided before his arrival, everything except the verdict and public opinion.

"That is all. I will send out the order to have him arrested this afternoon." The Minister of Magic said.

He knew a dismissal when he heard one and did as he was told. This was not a battle worth fighting. All the same it was not without a hint of reluctance that Mycroft Holmes bid them both goodbye, and announced, "221B Baker street." before stepping into the emerald green flames in the fireplace. He found his brother's flat empty. A single sweeping glance around the place told him that Sherlock and Dr. Watson were busy with cases. He sat down in the extra chair by the fireplace and returned to checking his emails on his phone, expecting a long wait.

Hours ticked past until finally, Mycroft heard his brother's even footsteps on the stair. The door opened and Sherlock strode over to him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Mycroft finished the important email he was working on, before he even looked up at his younger brother, an eyebrow raised. Eventually he stood and explained, "I was just in a meeting with the Minister of Magic."

Sherlock's eyes narrowed, but he forged on all the same, "What did she have to say that was so important?"

Mycroft was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door.