Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters. I get tired of saying that!
Warning: Contains major *OOTP SPOILERS* and *SB/RL SLASH*. If you wish to avoid those things, please turn back now. This chapter - MINOR SHOUJO-AI (girl/girl) stuff, and incest!
Notes: *PLEASE READ!* This story is COMPLETELY AU, meaning it never happened and probably never will (sadly). This is just me trying to bring back the character I love the most.
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Back from Beyond the Veil, Part 9
Bellatrix Lestrange hurled the Daily Prophet away from her and stood, in a towering rage, making everyone else around the table jump. How did he escape?! He's worse than the damned Potter boy... I've tried to kill him twice and he just - won't - DIE!
Narcissa Malfoy laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. Bella... calm down. It's true that Black keeps escaping... I don't know how he does it... but I'm sure it's just luck! Someday soon, both he and Potter will meet their ends - Dumbledore as well!
And Lupin, Bellatrix snarled. I just know he's part of the reason Sirius keeps coming back.. I just know it...
Most likely because neither of them is willing to give up sex, Lucius said coolly from behind them, sipping at his cup of tea. Didn't you know they are.... together, Bella?
I knew, she scowled. It's pretty damn obvious.
Lucius set down his teacup, smirking maliciously. He swept his long, blonde hair out of his eyes and stood. Bella, my dear... if it makes you feel any better... perhaps I can go to the Ministry, and do a little... ah... investigating for you. If you wish, that is.
How do you mean?
No doubt the Minister knows things he hasn't made public, Lucius said smoothly. About the results of the fire... how and why Black was pardoned... Severus wasn't able to find out for me... pity Fudge doesn't feel too kindly towards the staff of Hogwarts right now...
Rodolphus Lestrange cackled unpleasantly. I'm just amazed that the school wasn't shut down entirely after what happened to Dolores Umbridge...
She deserved it, Narcissa said indifferently. She glanced over at her son, who had been sitting quietly at the table the whole time, absorbing every word. Draco... run along, now...
Yes, Mother, Draco said courteously, hiding a smile of contempt. As he passed his father, Lucius reached out and stroked his son's fine blonde hair almost lovingly.
Next time.... be sure Potter gets hurt.
I would have... if Granger hadn't butted in with her stupid stories... Draco replied.
Lucius bent, glanced around to be sure no one was watching them, and brushed a quick kiss across Draco's lips. Good boy. He straightened up. You heard your mother... run along...
Yes, Father, Draco smiled, leaving the dining room and hurrying along to his bedroom. As his footsteps faded up the marble staircase, Lucius turned back to the others.
I'll be going now. It's a shame, really, how easy it is to manipulate the Minister... He chuckled. All it takes is a simple Imperius Curse...
Be careful, Rodolphus' brother Rabastan rasped from his place by the fire. Potter named us all as Death Eaters - and ever since Fudge found out the Dark Lord really has returned, he's becoming more and more cautious.
Lucius shrugged on his traveling cloak, the benign smile never leaving his lips. You forget, Rabastan... he trusts me, Potter's claims or no... after all, everyone knows Black is innocent, but the Minister hasn't been taking advice from him, now has he?
He was still smiling as he left the house, the sound of his family's cruel laughter following him as he went.
~*~*~*~*~
Ah! Lucius! There you are, I've been trying to contact you at home....
Smiling maliciously, Lucius closed the door of the Minister's office behind him and went to shake Fudge's hand. Forgive me, Minister... I had some... errands to attend to before I arrived here.
Good, good... Fudge smiled indulgently. Lucius hid a triumphant smirk as he seated himself in the chair before the Minister's desk. Ever since his release from Azkaban a mere week after being sent there, he had been careful to keep Fudge under a firm Imperius Curse. A Disillusionment Charm, a perfect sense of timing, and his own sneaky nature made it possible for Lucius to escape the prying eyes of Ministry employees who would rat him out. It amused him to think that the opposing side were so easily fooled - if it weren't for that Muggle-lover Dumbledore, the Dark Lord would have had free reign from the start.
And if it weren't for that damned Potter boy....
I assume you've heard of Sirius Black's pardon, Lucius? Fudge tented his fingers. He's your wife's cousin, isn't he? Do you know anything about him? Can he be trusted?
I never personally knew him, Minister, Lucius said smoothly. Frankly, I only met him once or twice before he was sent to Azkaban, and he never had much to say. He was pretty much the black sheep of my wife's family - no pun intended.
Fudge let out a dry chuckle. I think most of the Wizarding community still sees him as a dangerous person, and I myself think he's hiding things that only a few people know - Dumbledore, for example, and Lupin -
Hard to gain the community's trust when you're in a - shall we say - physical relationship with a werewolf, Lucius said with a mean smirk. But surely, Minister - you pardoned him. Why would you do that, if there's still a shadow of doubt?
Fudge puffed himself up indignantly. Unfortunately, the return of You-Know-Who forced me to recant his sentence - he's obviously a fervent opposer of You-Know-Who. Dumbledore all but ordered me to do it - but still, if I could get him on something else... think of it, Lucius, found in the Department of Mysteries long after Ministry hours.... escaping Azkaban, evading capture for so long, who knows what else -
Indeed, Black seems to have the luck of the Devil himself, Lucius mused. Though I doubt he did it without help... what happened in the Department of Mysteries?
Even without the Imperius Curse, he reflected, Fudge would have been all too eager to tell. We have a Veil down there - kept strictly for the Unspeakables' studying purposes - you know, of course, that Black was knocked behind it in June. Apparently the Veil is not the gateway to death that we imagined it to be... Black was found two weeks later, injured and weak, but still alive. He had seemingly popped out of nowhere... I was there when we found him. Lupin, apparently, had a screaming fit, claiming Black was alive - whether it was prophesy or not, I can't be sure. At least, Dumbledore says Lupin kept saying Black was alive, and they traced him to the Department of Mysteries. He was being threatened by three strange women... they wanted to take him through to the land of Death, or so I think.
Lucius pondered this. Vaguely, he recalled a tale he had heard from Bellatrix, later confirmed by the Dark Lord himself - that the guardians of the dead never gave up their captives. Why didn't they take him?
Lupin slit his wrists and offered them his blood in exchange for Black. They accepted... we got Black and Lupin to St. Mungo's in time to save them... I don't think they're worth saving, but Dumbledore had taken the situation forcibly from my hands by then....
Well. This was news. Lucius stored it away in his mind carefully. The conversation at supper tonight would be far from boring, that was for certain.....
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Bellatrix knocked cautiously on her sister's half-open door. Narcissa was lying on her bed, her hair and her long skirts spread out all around her, an arm over her eyes. As Bellatrix entered, shutting the door behind her, Narcissa took her arm away from her face and sat up.
What's wrong, Bella? She drew her youngest sister into her arms, reaching up to take out the gold hairpin that held Bellatrix's hair away from her face. It tumbled down like an ebony river, and Narcissa combed her fingers through it lovingly. Bellatrix had always been her favourite relative, and a much better sister than Andromeda - while Andromeda had spent her time running around with Sirius, dressed like a Muggle teenager, Bellatrix had always been happy to stay with Narcissa, letting Narcissa play with her hair or cuddle her. They had been very close, and still were, despite Bella's long imprisonment in Azkaban.
I'm worried, Bellatrix said softly, her words muffled against the front of Narcissa's gown.
Worried? Why should you be worried?
Sirius. Is it really possible that he could have survived? I've tried to kill him three times, and he just won't die. How does he do it?
I don't know, sweeting, Narcissa sighed, kissing her sister's cheek. No doubt Dumbledore and Lupin play a large part in his survival, like you said at breakfast.
Bellatrix rested her head in the curve of Narcissa's neck, her arms slipping around her sister's slender waist. By the way... I've been meaning to ask... whatever happened to Uncle Cèpheus' ring?
Not sure... I'm sure Auntie Adhàra kept it after he died... actually, I think Andromeda has it now... why? It's just an old piece of junk, it's not important.
Bellatrix pulled away from her sister. What? Cissa, you don't know what it does, do you?
Besides clutter up someone's jewelry box or finger? No, I didn't think it was anything special.
Uncle never showed you?
No... what does it do?
Bellatrix didn't answer at first, instead looking down at her fingers and remembering when she was younger... sitting on the floor beside her cousin Regulus, as the two watched Regulus' father Cèpheus do tricks in the air with his magic ring, which was imbued with the power of fire. He could send rings of fire blossoming from his finger, soaring around the room and always vanishing just before they touched the ceiling... light a fire in the wood stove without stirring from his chair... She remembered how she and Regulus loved watching those displays. They were the only ones who ever saw - Narcissa had been too busy with school and her new boyfriend, and neither Sirius nor Andromeda wished to join them.
Bellatrix shook herself out of her musing and pulled Narcissa back into her arms. I'm sorry, darling... old memories. She played absentmindedly with the laces on the front of Narcissa's gown, loosening them. That ring... if Andromeda still has it, I think we're okay. She only had a vague idea of what it does... but if she tells Sirius she has it...
Narcissa tilted her head to one side, her long blonde hair pooling in the dip made by their touching shoulders. He knows what it does?
Of course. As much as I hate him, I have to admit he's not stupid. It was his father's ring, after all - I'm sure he knows perfectly well what it does. I just hope he doesn't start wondering where it is... or that Andromeda doesn't give it to him....
Her sister gasped softly as Bellatrix slipped her hand inside her gown. I don't think he will, she said, a trifle breathlessly. He hated everything to do with his father, after all... but let's forget that for right now...
Bellatrix smirked, unlacing her own gown. Fine by me.... we'll just wait until Lucius gets home....
~*~*~*~*~
Draco heard the door open and close. His father must be home... smirking, he rose from his bed and went downstairs.
Lucius was hanging up his cloak, a fierce scowl playing across his face. Ever since Potter had freed their house-elf, Lucius had never quite gotten used to hanging up his cloak on his own - usually he just threw it onto a chair and let Dobby take care of it. Oh, well, things couldn't be helped... As he turned, shutting the door of the coat cupboard, Draco entered the foyer.
Hello, Father... all well at the Ministry?
Lucius drew his son to him. The Minister gave me quite an earful today... he smirked. Of course, he didn't tell me anything about the Department of Mysteries, however hard I tried... even under the Imperius Curse I can't get him to say anything about it. Perhaps he knows nothing about it, and all his babblings are merely to cover his innocence...
Draco moaned softly as his father kissed his neck. Did he tell you anything about Black?
Indeed he did, my love. It seems our dear Minister is not too fond of Potter's godfather.... Anyway, I've found out at least a little bit. I don't know whether the Dark Lord will find my information very profitable, as he did Kreacher's - seems a pity we had to lose such an effective spy as that elf. He turned and started up the stairs, hand-in-hand with Draco.
Did the Minister have a reason why Black keeps surviving?
They went into Draco's room. Lucius shut and locked the door behind him. Theories, nothing more... he believes Dumbledore and Lupin are behind it, like your aunt suggested... though I never would have believed it, Lupin and Black's... affection... for each other seems to have benefits.
Draco flopped back on his bed, peeking up at his father from under his pale bangs as Lucius unbuttoned his shirt. Does it?
I wouldn't know. But it looks like there's more to being a werewolf's mate than just rutting at the full moon... I should discuss this with Severus, he is very knowledgeable on the subject...
Draco's eyes widened as his father got into bed beside him. Professor Snape? What does he know about werewolves?
Quite a lot... I believe it was his hope at one time to become Lupin's mate...
But - they hate each other....
We're back to Black again. Severus hates Lupin for choosing Black over himself, naturally... someday, I'm sure, Severus will tell you the story, should you ask. I myself only know part of it....
Maybe I will, Draco smiled as he was pulled into his father's embrace.
~*~*~*~*~
Sirius stood alone in the Weasleys' garden, looking up at the night sky. He played absently with the chunky ring on his right hand. His father's ring... a ring that had been passed down to the eldest male of the family since the Middle Ages.... a ring that held frightening powers and unbelievable risks. The first key to using it, Dumbledore had told him, was to want to use it. Whether the user wanted to use it for good or ill, it didn't matter; as long as the user had no doubts about what they were doing, the ring would always obey the slightest command....
Footsteps crunched in the grass behind him. Before he could turn, Andromeda was at his side. Her lovely dark eyes searched his face for some betrayal of his inner emotions. Sirius... are you okay?
No. Not at all. Sirius looked back up at the stars, blinking back threatening tears. I don't think I've ever felt any less fine.
You've got to trust in Dumbledore, you know. Andromeda put her arms around him. If he thought this ring was dangerous, or if it wouldn't help us at all, it would still be at home in my jewelry box, not on your finger. There's some purpose to it... Dumbledore obviously thinks so. Are you going to double-guess him?
No... no, I know he's doing this for the good of everyone. Sirius swallowed. But I'm still scared. I can't help being scared. He rested his chin on the top of her head. Andy.... it's hard, being the one everyone else is putting their trust in.
Andromeda smiled slightly at the old pet name. I know it is, dear. But you've got to be strong. You have everyone behind you. It's going to be a tough fight, but we can do it. If not for the sake of the wizarding community - and for the Muggles - then just do it for Harry. Think how much easier and happier his life will be without the Dark Lord around.
I would love to be the one to make Voldemort pay for what he did to Harry... and James, and Lily... and all of us, Sirius growled, ignoring the shudder that went through Andromeda's thin body at the sound of the name. It's not my place to take him down, though... that's Harry's job.
How do you know that?
I just do. It makes sense, doesn't it? Voldemort's been coming after Harry for years - oh, stop it- he hugged her a little tighter as she shuddered at Voldemort's name - ... I just think it's going to be Harry who kills him in the end.
Andromeda rested her cheek against his chest, playing idly with a stray lock of his hair. Yeah... I think you're right, too, Siri. We have to put our faith in Harry, too... that he'll triumph again and get rid of the Dark Lord once and for all....
Amen, Andy, Sirius sighed.
To Be Continued......
(A/N: I must apologize for taking so long with this chapter!!! I was totally stumped for ideas come the end of Chapter 8. I did a lot of thinking, but kept bumping into brick walls. I had no one to discuss it with (they were all studying for midterms and I didn't want to interrupt them), so I put it aside for awhile. At one point, I wrote a few more sentences, became stumped again, and abandoned it for another few weeks. Then I realised I could switch one minor sentence, and my gateway would be open! After I did that, the ideas came rushing in!!! So, once again, sorry!! I'll try my hardest to be quicker with the next chapter... please don't be upset with me if I'm slow! I promise, I'm determined to finish this!
You know, the entire Black/Malfoy/Lestrange family was very incestuous in this chapter. Well, except for Sirius and Andromeda, who were acting just like beloved cousins... but the others got a bit naughty on me, and I couldn't stop them. I don't know, the Blacks just seem like this family where incest with your evil relatives is considered all right. It's just my personal opinion, and I'm sorry if it grossed anyone out... I'll keep it majorly toned down in upcoming chapters, I promise!)
