"He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. Gripping his wand very tightly, he edged around the dais, but there was nobody there; all that could be seen was the other side of the tattered black veil."
-Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
There was a knock and then the doors of his office opened before he even had the time to respond, making Harry frown at the intrusion.
Though, as soon as he saw the person that entered, he knew he shouldn't have bothered. The Head Unspeakable Jenkins was the most arrogant person Harry knew, making the likes of Malfoy seem like harmless kittens.
Jenkins was very good at his job, whatever the hell it was that he did down in the Department of Mysteries, and he had climbed up in the ranks very quickly once the war was over, to become the youngest head of a department beside Hermione, of course. Harry would have respected him for his hard work if it wasn't for the man's atrocious personality.
"Head Unspeakable Jenkins, what can I do for you?" he nevertheless said politely, after all, the man was an Unspeakable, and you didn't want to get on their bad side. They learned some weird shit down in the bowels of the Ministry, the likes of which Harry didn't want to know anything about.
"I need your assistance. There has been a development in the Death room, but I cannot disclose anything more here." the man said, before turning around and starting to walk away, making Harry stare blankly after him.
Was he supposed to follow?
"Today, Auror Potter, if you please!" came from just outside of his office, making Harry grit his teeth as he stood up and made his way toward where the infuriating man was waiting impatiently for him.
They rode the elevator down to the basement where the Department of Mysteries was located, bypassing the witch that was standing guard at the doors and walking right in.
Harry stopped in front of the doors leading to the Death Room, his heart beating rapidly at the thought of what was on the other side. He hadn't been back in that room since his 5th year, the night that Sirius had fallen through the veil.
It had been tempting when he started working in the Ministry, the thought that maybe Sirius was still alive and just stuck on the other side playing in his mind but he resisted. If that were the truth then Unspeakable would have already discovered the way to bring him back.
Sirius was dead, along with so many others and no matter how much Harry wished he could do something, there was no undoing of death.
He took a big breath, shaking his head in an effort to clear it, since he had a job to do, one that he loved very much, before he finally stepped into the room, joining Jenkins at the center of the room.
The room looked the same, nothing had changed since the last time Harry had seen it, except now, it was filled with a dozen of Unspeakables. Harry frowned when he noticed the runes written in a circle around the Veil, unable to recognize any of them.
"What are those for?" he asked, pointing to the floor.
"We have devised a spell that would, in case it works, enable us to see beyond the Veil. The runes are there as protection, a shield if you may, in case something gets out. As it's your presence, as the representative of the Auror Department."
"Gets out?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.
Could it be...?
"You mean a person? Or persons?" he murmured, unable to prevent a spark of hope from bursting in his chest at the thought of seeing Sirius again.
"No. Inferi or a version of them, at least. There is no life beyond the Veil, Auror Potter. What is dead is dead."
Harry deflated, staring morosely at the ground as he thought about Jenkins's words.
"Wand at the ready, Auror Potter." Jenkins said before he stepped forward, a series of incantations in a language Harry had never heard before, spilling out of his mouth. The runes started glowing the longer Jenkins spoke, their light growing until Harry was almost blinded by it.
Then the incantations stopped, the runes glowing for a second longer before they faded, and a silence fell over the room.
Harry looked around, confused as he saw everyone staring at the Veil.
Did it work?
He looked back to the Veil, unable to see anything except the shivery curtain, when it suddenly moved, a gust of wind blowing through it, and before Harry could do anything he was blown off his feet, his head connecting harshly with the stone wall, and then there was nothing but darkness.
•
"Harry, wake up sweetheart, we don't have much time."
Harry slowly came to his senses, his head pulsing and his vision blurry as he opened his eyes.
He blinked and then blinked again once he saw the person kneeling beside him. It wasn't possible.
"Mom?" he whispered, afraid to even speak the words, afraid that she would disappear. But she didn't, instead, she smiled, one of her hands coming up to his cheek, her eyes going soft as she did so before they hardened.
"Harry, we don't have much time. I need to tell you something."
She stopped for a second, looking over her shoulder as if listening to something or someone, before she turned back, her face grim.
"I have to go; I just need you to promise me something. Go to Gringotts, ask for the goblin named Bogrut. He will tell you everything you need to know. Promise me!"
Harry nodded, even though he felt more confused than ever.
"We have run out of time. I'm sorry honey, I have to go."
She bent down, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead before she whispered into his ear "Nothing is as it seems Harry."
•
Harry stood at the steps of Gringotts, debating if he should go in. It had been a week since he woke up in St. Mungos, after suffering a traumatic brain injury in the Department of Mysteries, his mother's words still echoing through his mind.
At first, he thought that it had all been just a dream caused by his injury and a week-long induced coma, but as the days went by and he still couldn't stop thinking, what if, he had finally decided to just go to Gringotts and check.
He was sure that nothing would come of it, there probably wasn't even a goblin by the name Bogrut there, but still, he needed to make sure. After all, it wouldn't be the first time his dreams came true.
He nodded at the Wizards standing guard at the doors before walking in, still feeling a bit vary any time he had to visit Gringotts, even though he had long ago made peace with the Goblin Nation. Something that involved a lot of galleons and a Wizard's oath to never attempt to steal from Gringotts again.
He walked to one of the tellers, thankful to find that it was not a busy day in the bank as it usually tended to be.
"Good morning. I was wondering if a goblin by the name of Bogrut works here?" he asked, feeling foolish even as the words left his mouth.
"Yes, he does. Would you like me to call for him, Auror Potter?" came the response, making Harry freeze on spot. He blinked owlishly at the goblin before numbly nodding his head, watching as the creature jumped from his seat and walked away to do his bidding, his mind screaming in confusion.
It hadn't been a dream. It had been real.
Merlin.
He thought as he was ushered into an office five minutes later, the oldest goblin he had ever seen sitting at the table and looking at him.
"Lord Potter, I was wondering when I would be seeing you. Although you look a bit old for an eleven-year-old."
Harry frowned, staring at the goblin as if he was crazy.
"That's because I'm not; I'm 25."
"Well, that would explain it." Bogrut quipped, before riffling through a mountain of papers on his desk, only stopping once he located a small, flat box, the words EVANS written boldly at the top of it.
"Forgive me, I had been under impression that this is your first visit to our bank, seeing as you were supposed to receive this box as soon as you first stepped foot into Gringotts."
Harry stared blankly; his eyes glued to the words written on the box.
Was he about to receive something that belonged to his mother? He frowned though, remembering the ominous words his mother had spoken, a warning, and something deep inside of his guts told him that whatever it was he would not like it one bit.
"I just need a drop of your blood right here." Bogrut said, giving him a piece of blank paper and Harry did as was asked of him, murmuring a spell that would prick his finger, before he pressed it against the paper, smearing blood over it as he did so.
Bogrut nodded as the paper glowed blue, before taking the box and offering it to Harry. Harry took it, his hands shaking as he brought it close to his chest, hugging it to himself as if afraid it would disappear.
"I'll give you a moment." Bogrut said, before walking out of the room slowly, a walking stick clutched in one of his hands.
Harry took a big breath before setting the box on the table and opening it, his hands shaking as he did so. Inside was a small, black notebook, and Harry took it, turning it around but unable to find anything written on the covers.
He took out his wand, casting a slew of detection spells but when the results turned back empty, he set his wand aside and opened it his eyes going wide as he read the first entry.
Property of Lily Evans Snape.