Disclaimer: Yep. I'm totally J.K, masquerading as a 25 y/o man on a fanfic website…

Warnings: Slash (if that needs to be stated…), 8th-year fic (aka EWE), uncontrollable erections.

Summary: It's 8th Year and Harry has finally discovered the existence of his libido. Draco Malfoy wants to get to know Harry, but he gets far more than he bargained for. Meanwhile, there are people in the world who were not happy with the way the war ended, and some people might not be as gone as we thought.

Chapter 11: The Black Book

Harry woke to the feeling of a warm mouth engulfing his manhood. He tried to pretend he was still asleep but the moan that was dragged out of him when Draco's tongue ran roughly up the thick vein on the underside of his cock ruined that plan. He felt Draco's answering chuckle turn into a moan around him when he thrust up into the warm wet heat. He built up a rhythm of pumping in and out of Draco's mouth, burying himself to the hilt each time. In no time at all, he felt his climax mounting.

"Fuuu-uhhh!" Harry screamed as he came directly down the blond's throat. To his credit, Draco didn't gag and even kept sucking on the way up until Harry finally fell from his mouth.

Harry reached to reciprocate, but Draco swatted his hand away. "No need," he said, grinning sheepishly. Harry looked down to discover the evidence of Draco's release on the sheet below.

"That was a hell of a way to wake up," the brunet said as he pulled Draco up to kiss him fully on the mouth, enjoying the taste of his own spunk on his breath. It wasn't a pleasant taste, to be sure, but it was a reminder of the way he'd just owned the blond's mouth.

"Mmm," was Draco's response, leaning back in for another kiss. "Did you really tell my mother we planned to marry right after graduation?"

"Well technically I said at some point after graduation, but right after falls under that wide umbrella," Harry said with a smirk. Draco smacked him on the shoulder for his quip and got up. Harry enjoyed the view of Draco's smooth arse swaying across the room to the closet. They had been sleeping in various state of undress together, but the last night had been the first time since the incident with Blaise and Ginny that they had slept totally naked again.

"Eyes off my arse, Potter," Draco drawled right before disappearing through the doorway, not allowing Harry the chance to respond.

Harry jumped up from the bed and hurried after his fiancé, hoping to join him in the shower. They hadn't ever had the chance to shower together at Hogwarts, not wanting to risk even the lockable Prefect's Bathroom. Students in a hurry to get their evening bath were quite capable of figuring out the proper unlocking charms.

He heard the bath water running, and ran quickly into the other room. Draco was standing over the tub's edge, turning different taps on and off as water filled the large space surprisingly fast. The smell in the room was fragrant and masculine, filling Harry's nostrils and enticing him forward. He crept up behind Draco and tried to surprise him but, true to form, as he was bending to tickle his sides, said blond stood up, sending Harry flying into the water.

His yell was silenced by the water as Harry splashed into the tub. He came up spluttering to the sight of Draco hunched over, laughing his arse off. Harry splashed him and when the blond started to complain, Harry reached out and pulled him into the water as well.

"Oh, it's so on, Potter!" Draco cried out, as he launched himself at Harry for a full blown water fight.

-0-

Telling Narcissa that Bellatrix may still be alive was far easier than Harry expected. From the relieved face that Draco was sporting, it was clear he'd expected a much more difficult time of it as well. But his mother, as always, handled the revelation with grace and aplomb.

"Can you tell me how Bella managed to survive?" Narcissa asked with a slight frown. "From what I heard, Molly Weasley fiercely struck her down in the final battle, and she was quite dead. The Prewitt family's women were never ones to make angry."

At Draco's significant look, Harry launched into the story of how Voldemort had sought immortality through the use of Horcruxes. He explained that Bellatrix had been his most trusted and, indeed, cherished servant and that he had shared many of his most closely guarded secrets with her, intending them to rule the world together. Throughout the story, Narcissa sat with lips pursed, attention solely on Harry as his words tumbled out rather clumsily. Her flared nostrils and wide eyes were the closest she came to showing the true horror she felt.

"They were attempting WHAT?!" she exclaimed when Harry got to the part about resurrecting Grindelwald's magic. Harry would have smirked at her outburst, were the situation any less serious.

"Voldemort, with Bellatrix's help, was trying to claim the power of Grindelwald for himself," Harry explained. "He had discovered a Dark necromantic ritual that would raise the magic that lay dormant.

"What a fool," Narcissa replied, much more in control of her emotions now.

Harry looked at her questioningly. "How do you mean?"

"Do you know the difference between the Ministry's definition of dark magic and true Dark Magicks?" she asked, prompting a nod from both Harry and Draco. "So you know that dabbling with Dark Magicks messes with the mind and soul, slowly ripping both to shreds, leaving a deranged, hate-filled husk of a person in its wake. That's why Bella went insane; it wasn't Azkaban. She was too filled with hate, and too far gone for Dementors to have any effect."

"So, a crazy Dark Lord and his faithful but equally insane companion were preparing to take on one of the darkest of magicks, all in a quest for even more power?" Draco asked, speaking for the first time since he'd greeted his mother.

"Precisely," she answered. "And had they succeeded, the world would never have survived. The last shreds of humanity would likely have been torn from the Dark Lord, leaving him as nothing more than an immensely powerful killing machine, hell bent on destroying everything in his path, up to and including Bellatrix. There wouldn't be a person left standing when he finished, and no one, not even the strongest allied wizards would have been able to stop him."

Suddenly, Narcissa stood. "But this is all mere speculation, as they never succeeded. Come with me, we must confirm that Bellatrix is truly alive, and then we may formulate a plan."

Harry was about to ask where they were going, but Draco silenced him with a look. Taking the hint, he followed along after the two blondes.

After walking for at least a year (if Harry's impatient internal clock was to be believed) and making 43 turns (he'd counted), the trio stopped in front of a plain black door with a simple, brushed silver handle. Narcissa, instead of reaching for the handle, leaned toward the door and spoke to it in a whisper, apparently sharing secrets.

As she spoke, the door's façade changed from black to green, and the plain handle melted away, replaced by an ornate silver handle in the shape of a serpent's head mid-strike.

"Harry," Narcissa said, startling the brunet whose attention had been riveted on the shifting door. "In this room is the most priceless treasure my family has ever or will ever possess. It has been passed down through the generations, always kept near a living descendant. This treasure is called The Black Book. Much like the tapestry that I'm sure you've seen at Grimmauld Place, it is a record of my family, though far more detailed."

Harry had already heard this from Draco, so he simply nodded his head. With that, Narcissa pushed the door open, revealing a small, plain room. Six torches provided the only decoration on the dark walls, though their green flames provided little light.

When they stepped fully into the room, an overhead light flashed on, temporarily blinding Harry in the process. But when he was able to see again, he saw that the spotlight was shining down on a pedestal holding a large, dragonhide-bound book. Harry moved forward with the two Malfoys, leaning over to see the book's cover. In large lettering were the words THE BLACK BOOK.

Narcissa opened the book, and Harry was astonished by what he read on the title page.

"Toujours Fidèle?" he asked. "I thought the Black family motto was Toujours Pur."

"Walburga Black changed it when she became Lady Black, head of the family," she said with a frown. "Toujours Fidèle means always faithful. The Black family was once one of the most honorable families in Britain. Members of the family were always loyal, first and foremost, to each other. No personal ambitions were to be seen as more important than the family. If running for Minister or becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts was in the best interest of the family, then that is what you did, despite personal feelings to the contrary."

"Certainly explains Phineas," Harry muttered.

"Correct, Harry," Narcissa said with a smirk. "Phineas Nigellus Black never liked children, though he bore many of his own. But he was in the best position to ascend to the role of Headmaster, and the family believed, at that time, that their views were being overlooked in face of the heavy influx of muggleborns. The Blacks in the 19th century believed he could rectify this problem at Hogwarts, though that attempt was never very successful. He hated the children, and they certainly hated him."

At this point, Narcissa turned back to the book, placed her left hand on the inside of the cover, and said, "Bellatrix LeStrange, neè Black."

The pages started turning quickly, and there were thousands, far more than the book appeared to hold. After about a minute, the page turning stopped near the very end. On the page closest to harry was a small picture of Bellatrix, recognizable even though the madness had not taken her yet. She must have been very young when the picture was taken, though the slight gauntness to her eyes suggested she had begun to dabble with the Dark Magicks.

Next to her picture was her name, Bellatrix Callidora Black. The Birth Date—1951—was apparent, but the Death Date—1998—had been smudged out, as if a finger had quickly rubbed over wet ink, striking out an errant word. The three of them took a collective inhale.

"Well," Draco said, breaking the tension that had gripped the room. "I suppose that confirms it. She died—sort of. But her Horcrux saved her."

Harry and Narcissa nodded, though Harry suddenly looked distracted. His gaze returned to the book, a look of longing apparent for a millisecond before he hid it away. Narcissa noticed where his attention had gone, placed her left hand back onto the book and said, "Sirius Black, the Third."

Once again, pages fluttered. Though Harry did not notice, so intense was the look he focused on Narcissa.

"How did you know I was thinking of him?" he asked, voice tight with unspoken emotion.

"He was your godfather, Harry," she said gently as she placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "I know the circumstances surrounding his death, and just how hard it may be to find closure. I thought seeing him here might help."

He nodded and turned his head back to The Black Book, afraid that if he looked into Narcissa's eyes, so full of understanding and shared pain, for any longer he might lose the little control he had left over his emotions. Next to Sirius' picture was his name and dates, the same format as Bellatrix's. But…hold on.

"There's no death date!" Harry shouted, despite the fact that the only two people he was talking to were mere inches away.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, turning back. "Is it scratched out like Aunt Bella's?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Look, it says '1959 until,' and then there's just nothing!'"

"Curious," Narcissa hummed, becoming almost lost in thought. "Come to think of it, does anyone actually know what the Veil really is?"

"Dumbledore told me it's the physical manifestation between life and death, and that it's a one way trip," Harry said sadly.

"And he knew that for a fact?" Draco responded.

"Well, he didn't give me any proof, per se. But why would he lie about that?"

"I do not believe he was lying to you, Harry," Narcissa said. "That is what Lucius believes it to be as well. I think that is what everyone who has ever been made aware of it was told. The Unspeakables rarely give their knowledge freely, even under torture, truth serums, and the Imperius curse; so it is quite possible that it is a cover story."

"Well, it looks like we need to look into this," Draco said pragmatically, effectively ending the discussion for the moment.

After returning to the sitting room for tea, discussions continued, and a plan began to form. With a promise from Narcissa to begin looking for signs of Bellatrix (she said that the first place she would look would be the ancestral Black properties scattered about Europe and northern Africa) and to speak with some contacts at the Ministry to find out who might know what about the Veil, Harry and Draco left Malfoy Manor. They had much to discuss back at Hogwarts.

-0-

End Chapter 11

-0-

A/N: I know this took a long time, and I'm sorry! But I got bitten by a plot bunny for a totally unrelated story, and it wouldn't release me from its clutches until I wrote at least an outline. And bunny teeth hurt.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, short and dry as it was (though there was at least a bit of fun at the beginning). At barely 2,000 words, I think it's my shortest yet. BUT, it had some important stuff that had to get started so that we can pick things up from this point.

Callidora, by the way, is an ancestor of Bellatrix's and means 'gift of beauty' in Greek. I thought it would be an ironic name for her, because all of the Black sisters were beautiful (it's a family trait I guess), but Bellatrix was physically changed by her magic practices. All the Dark Arts stuff, dude. No good.

I have a question for you all, so please review and let me know your thoughts: Should Sirius "come back from the dead"? I mean, this story has a lot of it going on, so would one more be okay as long as it's Sirius? Do you even like him? Let me know, please!