Can You Hear Me Now
Can You Hear Me Now by Pseudonymous Entity
Summary: Harry doesn't save Ginny in the chamber. Instead he tries to befriend the spirit of the Dark lord and as a result learns things he never would have known and meets a side to people he never would have guessed was there. Secrets come unwoven and everything changes.
Warnings: This is a HORROR PARODY. If you have made it to this point you ought to know what you're in for. Also? I laugh in the face of canon.
Characters: Harry Potter/Grimm. The Malfoys. The Weasleys. Sirius Black. Magical Creatures. Neville Longbottom. and ?
AN: Guess who's back! Guess who's back! Guess who's back!
ANx2: Do you have your tea and support animal ready? We're building up for the sky to start falling down. Don't say I didn't warn you.
ANx3: For those who don't know, I have vision problems with my left eye. On especially bad days this makes typing, or much of anything really, rather difficult. I want to thank you for your patience. I'm doing my best to get chapters written and updates posted as soon as I can. If you're still out there I hope you're ready for the next few chapters I have prepared for CYHMN. Here's the first.
-Pseu (Still good looking and reasonably talented)
"Bang bang go the coffin nails, like a breath exhaled
Then gone forever
It seems like just yesterday, how did I miss the red flags raise?
...make it stop, let this end, eighteen years pushed to the ledge
Its come to this, a weightless step
On the way down singing..."
-Make it Stop
Harry stood back with Draco and Marcel while Lord Malfoy lead away Sirius Black.
Their voices lowered and both men murmured to one another feverishly. Something serious must have happened. Something big. Why else would Lord Malfoy be willing to ignore the fact his son brought a man wanted for murder into his home? He obviously knew who Black was. Perhaps even from something other than a wanted poster on a wall.
Why was it all of the adults in life knew one another and kept secrets? Was it a normal thing for adults to do?
Abruptly the two wizards stopped speaking, secret conversation apparently over and Sirius headed the direction Draco's father had come from. There was no explanation for their frantic whispering. Not that Harry expected any, really.
Lord Malfoy turned back toward them, stepping forward. "I need you, boys, to stay out of sight for a little while." He tapped his long fingers against the handle of his cane. Though he was speaking t them it seemed his thoughts were already on something else. "We'll be having inconvenient guests in and out for a bit, and I have something important to take care of regarding our ... earlier conversation. Keep your friends in your wing, Draco."
Draco frowned for a moment and nodded. "Yes, father."
The blonde lord turned to Harry. "Forgive me, I will require more patience on your part Mr Grimm. I hope you understand I genuinely intend to provide aid and do not wish further distress upon your person..." Lord Malfoy trailed off of his uncommonly kind and sincere words to stare intently at Harry's face.
Silvery eyes narrowed and then softened. "Where did you acquire that mask, Mr Grimm?"
Harry blinked. "At the...er..." Dark festival in the alleys with dark creatures I snuck off to without telling anyone where I was going? Maybe if he stayed quiet long enough Draco would think of something better to say.
"At the festival. In the Alleys." Said Draco, who didn't seem inclined to manufacture a lie for Harry. There was a slight possibility he was still miffed Harry was there without him.
That was probably it.
Lord Malfoy gave a short nod as if that was the answer he expected. He turned to look at Marcel. "And that is where he found you?"
Marcel stood up straighter. "Yes, sir. My brother and I were looking out for him, sir."
Harry looked up at Marcel out of the corner of his eyes. Was Marcel intimidated?
He resisted the urge to fidget until Lord Malfoy stood up straight himself and turned his eyes away from them. "You have your mother's taste in disguises, Harry."
Breath catching in his throat Harry watched Lord Malfoy disappear down the hallway after Sirius. His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth and his teeth clenched, preventing words from spilling through them and over his lips. Questions like "You knew my mum?" And "How on earth do you know what she used for disguises?"
Most importantly, when would the adults around him stop keeping secrets?
***CYHMN***
Lucius grasped the knob and pulled the door open, stepping forward only to stop short.
Sirius Black stood stock still just inside the room, his body vibrating. Even if he had not known who he would find in here, and though it had been a long time, Lucius would have known who it was. Sirius had a way of standing that was unique to him. Something between ready to spring forward and ready to run away. A product of growing up in the black household, Lucius knew. Regulus too had had his quirks. As did Narcissa.
And everyone knew how Bella turned out.
Lucius let the door fall shut behind him, experimentally. Black gave no notice or acknowledgement of Lucius' presence until the blonde lord strode forward and allowed himself to come into the other wizard's line of sight.
Dark eyes unmoving from their target, Back lifted a finger and pointed at the bed. "When were you going to tell me the hurt-possibly-cursed individual you needed my help with was Primavera Grimm? What in Godric's name happened?" The hand dropped only to immediately rise up and run through his tangle of dark curls.
"We're not sure," Emery answered. He shut the door behind him and gave Black a wide berth, passing a collection of documents over to Lucius. To his credit he gave no other indication he recognized Black as the mass murderer with his posters all over wizarding Britain. Lucius supposed getting attacked by muggles, breaking a prisoner out of their prison and becoming an employee to the dark wizard who helped you, might be desensitizing.
Or perhaps he was simply waiting until he was alone in his room tonight to express any distress or displeasure with the events of the day, and Black was just another thing to add to the list.
Lucius glanced down at the documents, noting the Malfoy seal on them in place of a signature. He looked up at Emery, raising a single pale brow.
Emery was looking pointedly somewhere over Lucius' shoulder. "I haven't seen your signature so I couldn't risk a forgery. I took the seal from the third drawer of your desk in the library."
"I didn't send you to the library," Lucius pointed out. "And when did the Aurors start training their employees to forge signatures?"
At this Emery's cheeks blushed faintly even as he raised his chin. "I was not always of a mind to join law enforcement. In fact, it was my...experience of life on the other side of it that lent to my high scores on the entrance exam."
Lucius repressed a small smile. He'd knew he liked Emery. "Well done."
Emery's shoulders relaxed in surprise. Amused, Lucius glance through the remaining documents. Seemingly in order, Lucius placed them in an inconspicuous basket resting on the single, small side table in the room. It glowed briefly and a second, identical stack of parchment. The first pile disappeared.
"Have you sent for my family manager?"
Emery nodded. " Yes, I-"
"How can you not know?" Black interrupted.
Although his garments were faded and much abused, although his hair was unkempt and his eyes had shadows beneath them, it seemed as if the years in Azkaban hadn't done much breakdown or damage what was on the inside of the man. Thinking quickly, responding easily, expressing emotion appropriate to the situation. No detachment or disassociation. At least...nothing that wasn't already there before.
All the Blacks were a little unstable. Madness ran in their blood.
"You found her lying like this in the middle of the street, did you? Someone just took Prima by surprise?" The scepticism was heavy. They both knew it was an unlikely scenario, and Lucius knew Sirius Black knew better than to accuse Lucius of wrongdoing. In this matter anyway. The wizard needed a target for his anger.
"It wasn't one of us." Said Emery before Lucius could stop him.
Black's eyes slid over to Emery and the young wizard seemed to immediately regret earning the attention. "Explain."
"We will," Lucius cut in. It had been a little while since Lucius had to redirect the ire of a Black. Narcissa was hardly ever interested in anything outside of herself to warrant the need. His skills, it would seem, were well intact. "But for now she needs your help. I see Azkaban has not blurred your memory of her."
"I've forgotten nothing." Black snapped. As Lucius expected that distracted Black enough to get him out of his tragic melancholy. While normally Lucius would enjoy watching him wallow, the Blacks were rather entertaining when distressed, now was not the time.
Much better to have Prima well and lively once more that she may enjoy it too. She always did enjoy setting him off.
Black strode toward the bed and clapped his hands together. He closed his eyes and after a moment moved his hands apart, spreading them out over Prima, body still in concentration.
"I can sense it. It is like a ward or shield, tightly woven around her. Only, it is meant to keep her in. Not to keep us out." Black murmured in the expressionless voice of one fallen into deep focus. "Slight flexibility. Enough to prevent cracks. Not enough to let anything slip in or out. Every time I try my magic slides off like it's glass. Or ice."
Black slowly brought his arms down and opened his eyes. He turned to Lucius. "We need another curse breaker. A mancer too. Of the mind arts." He glanced back a Prima. "There's a secondary layer to the shield. I think it is one she herself has erected. Whether by subconscious reflex of survival, or whether she knew what was coming and planned accordingly I cannot say. What happened to her Malfoy? Malfoy?"
Lucius snapped his eyes back to Black. "We're going to find out."
"Sir?" Emery cleared his throat. "If I may? I think I know an individual with the skills to assist Mr Black with his...duties. I have, of course, prepared confidentiality agreements. If needed." Emery reached into his pocket and pulled out folded parchment which he held out to Lucius for him to inspect.
"Level one and two?"
Emery shrugged. "Never hurts to be prepared sir."
A quite chime sounded in the room. "The receiving room," Lucius explained. "I'll return shortly."
Lucius left the room that now served as Prima's bedroom and healing ward until further notice, and made his way to the secondary receiving room. There were only two fireplaces in the entire manor that could receive visitors, and this was the only one with the floo activated. Lucius rounded the corner to find the Minister for Magic, Aurors and what he assumed to be incapacitated muggles to one side of his receiving room, and a goblin in a fine tunic and robe holding a briefcase to the other side.
The goblin's attention was immediately drawn to Lucius.
Fudge interrupted Lucius before he could say a world. "I say, Lucius." Said the man, striding forward. "A lot more has happened than a simple retrieval. Two of my Aurors were injured, we were attacked by muggles. I need answers. I'm afraid I must demand the room number for Ms Grimm at St Mungo's so I can arrange to have an auror question her. We need a statement. I need something to say to the press. The public. We won't keep physical confrontation with the muggles quiet for long."
His fist tightened. A slight crinkling sound and he realized he still had Emery's forms in his hand. "No."
"No?" Repeated Fudge.
"No." Said Lucius, in a bored tone.
Fudge's face turned red. "I don't know why you insist on being unhelpful. I'll simply have to demand the information from the nurse's desk and that will hardly keep your little situation secret, will it? Honestly, it is in your best interest to cooperate with us, Lucius."
He was growing rather bold in the midst of his frustration and the lack of physically violent vampires, Lucius noted.
"Before we go any further," Said Lucius, "Why don't we all sign a confidentiality agreement? We wouldn't the press to get wind of this due to an accidental slip, would we?"
The minister let out a fierce breath of air. "Yes, yes. Fine. Let's get the formalities over with." He took the pages Lucius handed him, keeping one for himself and distributing the rest amongst the Aurors present. Once they all were signed and handed back to Lucius the minister had calmed down dramatically.
"There now, hopefully, this will soothe your fears, Lucius."
"Undoubtedly." Lucius agreed, handing the documents to his account manager. The goblin gave Lucius a barely there nod and made his way to the back of the room. "About the young auror, Emery-"
Fudge waved a hand. "I'll have him sign one as soon as he shows up. The blasted boy disappeared on us."
"As luck would have it he is already present in my manor."
The minister blinked. "Is he? Where the devil is he? I need a briefing!"
"Unfortunately Emery has found himself otherwise engaged for the foreseeable future," Lucius informed him. "And I'm afraid you won't be able to locate Prima at St Mungo's."
"What? Why ever not?"
"Because she isn't there, mostly." Said, Lucius.
Fudge spluttered.
"In addition, I have granted her and her family sanctuary within these halls. Emery is under my service as extra protection for Prima during her stay."
Fudge opened and closed his mouth. "You, you can't do that. Emry works for me and I'll drag the boy out by the ear if I wish!"
A throat cleared from behind them. They all turned to see the goblin standing there, narrow eyes watching the events unfolding with a sharpened focus. "An act of aggression against a personage under the protection of this House constitutes aggression against the House its self. Is the minister threatening physical action against the Malfoy family by the family Fudge?"
"I, of course not." Fudge snapped.
"Then you will do well to remember the noble and ancient houses were built upon places of high magical density and are considered spiritual and faith-based locations. As such they are granted the privilege of offering or granting sanctuary to those who seek it, with all the power that comes with it."
The minister's face grew paler with every word.
Finally, he gave Lucius a fierce nod and turned back toward the floo. "Forty days Lucius. That's minimum allowance, isn't it? I'll be back in forty days and don't expect me to be so lenient." He stepped through, his entourage following along with him.
Lucius and his account manager returned to the Prima's bedroom, Lucius filling in him on the way. He pushed open the door and entered. Nothing at all appeared to have changed since he left. Lucius walked toward the only other door in the room, which led to a study. The same one he'd sent Emery to to fetch paperwork earlier.
Lucius stopped beside the young ex-auror. "I don't suppose you've taken the liberty of summoning your little curse expert?"
Emery raised his chin and shrugged one of his shoulders. He let out a puff of air that disturbed his fringe. "Right...after you walked out the door."
"Hmm. You've become flippant." Lucius noted.
This time Emery shifted his weight on his feet, uncomfortable. "You see I...I just.."
"I never said I didn't like it." Said, Lucius. "I much prefer you interesting."
He continued by him and opened the door to the study. "I'm going to make a call of my own."
PseudonymousEntity
2019
Thoughts, questions, theories and limericks always welcome.
NOTES;
Who might Lucius be getting a hold of?
What do you think about Emery?
How will Harry ever explain this to Tom?