"What are you going to say to Albus?" Asked Lupin, who was sitting on one of the room's couches.
"What Harry asked me to." Sirius said, shrugging. "No idea why he wants me to go behind Albus' back, but it's gotta be important."
"Indeed. Try and pry the real reason out of him, will you?" Lupin asked. "It's rather bothersome not to know why he wanted books like that."
"Yeah. I'm gonna try talking the info outta him before I fork over the goods." Sirius said. "This crap's pretty tough. Dunno if guys like US could even summon something from these things..."
"Let us hope we never have to try, then." Lupin said, smiling. "You'd best get going, Sirius. Don't want to be late."
Sirius rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of powder from the jar atop the fireplace. "Oh be quiet, you big woman. You just want to shoot the breeze with Molly. Admit it!"
Lupin sputtered into his tea. "I beg your pardon?!"
"Oh, don't think I didn't hear you!" Sirius said, grinning as he looked over his shoulder. "For someone with enhanced senses, you sure didn't hear me sneaking up on you. I heard all about your horrible little topic."
"It... Sirius, we were just..." Lupin faltered.
"Oh no, no need to explain to me, Moony." Sirius said, throwing the fireplace and calling out the name of Dumbledore's office. Just before stepping through, however, he grinned back at Lupin and added, "Long as you two don't start talking about bedding and frills and lace around me, I don't care how much you two gush about beds."
Lupin glared as his friend vanished in the green flames.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Ah, Sirius! How are you?" Dumbledore said as Sirius hopped out of the fireplace.
Dusting himself off, Sirius grinned. "Well, I'd be better if there was a better way to get to where Harry was. Did you do something to your fireplace?"
"You could say that." Dumbledore said, getting to his feet and walking around his desk. "It came to my attention recently that someone could have been spying on my fireplace. I put a few 'road blocks' in the way, so to speak."
"Spying? On you? Who'd have the balls for that?" Sirius asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Chuckling at Sirius' choice of words, Dumbledore replied, "Someone without any at all. Now then, I was in contact with Harry earlier - we've 'fixed' his fireplace, as well - and he's waiting for you. Did you bring the books he was asking about?"
Sirius nodded, patting his pocket. "He talk to you much about it?"
"He did." Dumbledore said. "Though I don't believe his story. He's not quite good enough to keep me out yet."
"So what's his goal?" Asked Sirius. "I mean, I got the gist of it from the book list, but..."
"I believe he wishes to protect his 'Pit,' as he calls it." Dumbledore said. "If I might, could I see the books he has asked for?"
"Sure." Sirius said, pulling a half dozen shrunken books from his pockets. "Want me to enlarge them?"
"My eyesight isn't quite that bad yet." Dumbledore said, smiling at Sirius as he scanned the titles of the books. "...I see. Sirius, if you would...?"
"Yeah, Moony wanted me to have a little talk with him about their content, too. Just glad I don't hafta try keeping up a lie around you. I'm terrible at Occlumency." Sirius said, smiling crookedly and pocketing the books as Dumbledore handed them back. "Do you think he'll be alright?"
"I think he's more than capable of the act itself. I am more worried about the nature of the creature he wishes to summon." Dumbledore said. "That being said, I would like you to relay a message from me. It will be easier hearing it from you, I feel. Tell him that I give him my blessing to move forward with his plan on one condition - that I am contacted and present for the rituals. Harry has not faced anything like that before. I have."
"Well, that'd lift some stress from my shoulders." Sirius said, nodding slowly as Dumbledore spoke. "Thanks, Albus. I'm actually a bit surprised that you're going to let him bring one of those things into the school."
"The times are grave, my friend." Dumbledore said. "Especially right now. Dolores Umbridge has not been idle. I am... unsure of how long I can remain here."
"What do you mean?" Asked Sirius.
"A few isolated incidents have happened this year. Incidents that, unfortunately, Dolores has been present for. And, as she reports directly to Cornelius..."
"Does she know the stuff that's happened the last few years?" Sirius asked.
"She does." Dumbledore said. "In any case, you have no need to worry about me. If anything should happen, Minerva is more than capable of running the school until I can get a foothold again. And, if you would, please say nothing of this to Harry. The poor boy has enough on his mind."
"Yeah. ...Crap, what time is it? I'm going to be late at this rate..." Sirius said, wincing.
"You will make it with seconds to spare." Dumbledore said, grinning once more. "Go. Enjoy your lunch."
"See you in a bit, then!" Sirius said. And, after grabbing another handful of Floo Powder, he had once more hopped into roaring green flames and vanished.
Dumbledore waited until the flames died down before turning and walking back to his chair. Sitting down, he gazed at the notice on his desk. He had been reading and re-reading it for nearly an hour now, all to no avail. Cornelius truly had him by the throat this time.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Great. So my plan to avoid him finding out fell completely on its face?" Harry groaned as he and Sirius entered the Pit's dining room.
"Pretty much, kiddo." Sirius said, grinning and setting the now-enlarged books on the table.
"Sorry."
"No, no. This makes it easier. I just wonder sometimes why he gives me as much freedom as he does. Having my own quarters alone should be enough to get into trouble. Not attending classes for a week to learn Occlumency. Now this." Harry said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Albus' mind works in strange ways. I try not to think about it too much. Gives me a headache." Sirius said.
"Probably for the best. So, how've things been back at your house?" Harry asked.
"Well," Sirius began, tapping his plate to order up. "Molly is driving me crazy as usual, but it's a lot more peaceful with my mother's portrait gone. I don't think I can thank you enough times for blasting her."
"Mrs. Weasley's to blame for it, too. How weird is that?" Harry said, chuckling as he ordered as well. "If she hadn't pissed me off, I never would have had the anger needed to fuel the Eximo."
"If nothing else, I can try duct taping her to the ceiling, huh?" Sirius said.
Harry snorted.
"So, how're things going for you? I hear word that things aren't working out as well as they could this year." Sirius said, picking up his goblet and taking a sip of his juice.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Harry said, shaking his head. "That frog woman's trying my patience even with my Occlumency training. Aside from her, though... I dunno. Leon's been acting weird for awhile and he really hasn't been around much. Even Luna says he's not seemed like himself lately. Nym and I are doing alright, though she isn't liking the work load that's starting to hit us. The twins are the twins. Hermione reads a lot. Ginny's made a circle of friends that she hangs out with, so she isn't around much either. And I just don't know about Parkinson..."
"Oh?"
"It's like... I dunno, Sirius. Can I be perfectly candid with you here?"
"I won't tell a soul a thing you tell me today." Sirius said.
"I think... she's been spending time with Malfoy. Trying to convince him." Harry said, staring down at his untouched plate of food.
"Convince him?" Asked Sirius. "Of what?"
"That he should just join us. Our side, I mean." Harry said, looking up at his godfather. "Malfoy sent me that letter, Sirius. I can't imagine what the hell was going on in his mind to make him do that. Whatever happened when the Death Eaters took their kids to meet Riddle, it must have completely flipped his world. I told him, though. I said that his father was nothing to Voldemort. Maybe it was finally seeing with his own eyes that the man he thought was so damned flawless was nothing more than a boot-kissing toady like all the rest."
"So he's trying to wrestle with himself over what to do." Sirius said, nodding slowly. "Brat's probably been spoiled his whole life. More than likely, all of the things programmed into him came from his father. Probably followed his orders without question his entire life."
"And now that he's seen the truth, he has no idea what direction to turn." Harry finished, taking a swig of his pumpkin juice and sighing. "Pansy's trying to convince him that I'm not the person he believes me to be. I can understand his logic, though. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn't be very bloody eager to join up with him, either. I'm thinking... I'm thinking of opening the Pit's doors to him..."
"Are you sure?" Asked Sirius. "That's... putting a lot of trust into him, Harry. If he chooses the wrong side and stays on the path Lucius has kept him on his whole life, he could flush you and your friends out in a heartbeat."
"I know. That's part of the reason I want the Pit to be guarded." Harry said, motioning towards the books. "I need something that strong just in case. Full grown wizarding teams have a hard time taking those down without the right knowledge. If Malfoy ever betrays me,
it will know how to respond. And the thing is, the really hilarious thing is, I want to believe in Malfoy, Sirius. He took great personal risk writing to me. If his owl had been intercepted, he'd probably be in Voldemort's hideout being tortured. This is IF he wasn't killed outright. He knew this was greater than our stupid schoolboy fights. He rose above that and warned me of the Dementors. I trusted his judgment once. I want to do so again and offer something of my own - sanctuary."
"It's your call, kiddo. Just be careful, alright? Dumbledore wants to be here when you summon it, though. That's your condition for being allowed this." Sirius said.
"Yeah, I figured as much. I might ask him to be here when and if I decide to allow Malfoy into the Pit, too. Just to be on the safe side. It's going to probably take a long time to read through those books, digest their information, and gather whatever I need to perform the ritual..." Harry said.
"You'd risk letting him in before you summon your safeguard?" Sirius asked.
"I would. If I did this after the summoning, he might see that as me not trusting him. At least this way, he'll know about it beforehand." Harry said.
"And that would give him time to find a way to fight it." Sirius pointed out.
"Yes, but I don't think he'd be capable of beating it." Harry said. "Malfoy's strong, Sirius, but not that strong. I should be able to handle him if it were to come down to a one on one confrontation."
"And if he has support?" Asked Sirius.
"I have plenty willing to fight by my side. I'm not worried about it." Harry stated, spearing some broccoli with his fork and popping it into his mouth.
"Your call, but like I said - be careful. You're dealing with a lot of unknowns here, kiddo."
"I know. And it worries me, too. But if I show Malfoy that he can be safe - that he can be kept out of Voldemort's grip - I'm sure he'll make the right decision. I might talk it over with Dumbledore next chance I get, I dunno yet. I heard he's the one who saved Snape all those years ago. Wonder if any of this kinda stuff went through HIS mind."
Sirius chuckled. "Probably not. Albus is more the type to just push forward and worry about any consequences after the fact. It isn't to say he doesn't take problems into account, it's just that he's good at talking his way out of things."
"Yeah. Well, I guess I can only do what I think is right and hope it works out, yeah?" Harry said.
"Pretty much."
The rest of the meal continued in relative silence. Sirius watched Harry carefully as they ate. The boy was clearly troubled by multiple things. It gave Sirius a headache just to think about what his godson had piled on his plate. He certainly wouldn't have been able to juggle that kind of load. Especially during his fifth year. But, he reasoned, if anyone could straighten things out, it was Harry. He just hoped the boy knew what he was doing.
The Malfoys could be very dangerous when threatened. Sirius knew that. He had clashed with Lucius on more than one encounter in the past. He was quite sure that the elder Malfoy still held some form of grudge against him. Trying to convince his son to not only break ties with Voldemort but his own parents, though? That would prove to be a great challenge.
Sirius smiled mentally, though. If anyone could do something like that, it was Harry.
'Well, James,' Sirius thought as he wolfed down a second helping of steak and eggs, 'I hope I'm doing alright by you. I know Lily'd flip out if she knew what he was upto. Guess it's just one big game of chance now...'
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Less than a week later, Harry found himself pacing around the Pit, his mind overclocking itself in an attempt to figure out just what in the hell was going on. Dumbledore was gone. He was simply gone. He hadn't been at any meals that day and Harry had been unable to contact his office. It was as if the connection between their fireplaces had been cut off. The staff seemed to be increasingly irritated with each meal that passed.
Except Umbridge. She looked quite pleased with herself.
Logically, the only thing Harry could think of was that Umbridge and Fudge had been able to find a way to remove Dumbledore from Hogwarts. Harry didn't know to the extent of his removal, but it had to be the answer. Nothing else made sense. Dumbledore wouldn't just up and abandon the school without warning.
With Dumbledore gone, things got a lot more complicated. Harry assumed McGonagall, as the second in command, would take control of the school. That was fine to Harry, who never had any major qualms with the cranky Transfiguration teacher. But Dumbledore being gone in a time when Voldemort was back was immensely bad. Harry wasn't sure what the hell it would take for Fudge to admit that Voldemort had returned. The Prophet was still covering up Death Eater-related deaths. Despite the Dark Mark being confirmed, the newspaper was reporting that it was merely some sick kind of copycat killers - fans of the Death Eaters' way of doing things.
But that wasn't the only thing annoying Harry. No, not by a good clip. Ginny had stormed into the Pit that morning with a letter written by her older brother Percy. Apparently, Percy was blindly taking the Minister's side. The letter had stated that Harry was a danger to be around, that he was making things up for attention, and that he was going to get 'caught' at some point for breaking the rules. The twins had gotten a copy of the letter, too. Thankfully, everyone but Ron refused to believe Percy's ranting, and Ginny had said that Hermione was doing a good job of convincing even him.
In addition, Solieyu was acting decidedly stranger. He seemed to be shying away from large groups of people. He was vanishing without reason for hours on end. And he always seemed to have a sizable collection of girls making googly eyes at him when he did turn up somewhere. Harry asked Luna what the heck was going on, but the blonde was clueless herself. She said that he hadn't wanted to talk about his apparently growing fanclub, nor why he hated to be around other people now. More worrying was that Harry actually caught Tonks staring at him funny one day at lunch. He had to call her name a few times before she blinked owlishly and looked at him, confused.
Harry had hidden the books Sirius had brought him under a loose stone in the floor of the training room. He figured they were safer there than in his trunk, despite its relative safety. His plans to find a way to talk to Malfoy had been blown out of the water by everything else descending at once, but he had caught up to Pansy one day.
She had said that Malfoy still wasn't talking much and that he seemed conflicted when he did. Crabbe and Goyle officially weren't hanging around him anymore, though. And Blaise Zabini had given up trying to talk to the broody Slytherin long ago. Harry ran his plan by Pansy, who seemed nervous about the issue, too. She asked Harry to give her a little more time and that, if Malfoy still hadn't decided by December, that he should go ahead.
Boris hadn't been able to offer Harry any words of comfort to try and ease his worrying. But then, Harry was almost grateful for that. He didn't need to be coddled, he needed to solve what was going on. That's what he did. He solved problems. He fixed things. He restored things to how they should be.
But that meant turning Malfoy before the Death Eater children were to be branded, figuring out what was wrong with his vampiric friend, working out where Dumbledore had gone and why, making sure he had the materials necessary to perform the summoning ritual, and trying to keep his cool around that horrible frog woman!
Harry stopped pacing when he ran by all of that again in his mind. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he let himself slump down onto the couch, his eyes instinctively drawn towards the ever-crackling flames in the fireplace. Even though the Occulmency grew easier to keep in place with each passing day, it still took a lot out of him. And cracks were forming in his supposedly-flawless barrier. He was worried, he was tired, and he had no one to turn to for advice.
Certainly, he could talk to Flitwick, but Harry didn't connect with his head of house the same way he connected with Dumbledore. Dumbledore felt more like family than a professor, which was such an odd notion that it made Harry chuckle. If someone had told him that he would be this concerned over the man who kept forcing him to return to Privet Drive every summer, he would have said they were crazy. And yet here he was, troubled by Dumbledore's absence. Whatever Umbridge had done, it had given that bastard Fudge the means to kick Dumbledore from his own school.
Harry let his head loll back, his eyes slipping shut. His neck muscles were far too tight, and his shoulders were aching. His world was starting to come apart piece by piece. He wasn't in control and he hated it.
Logically, there was something he could do to try and sort things out... but he didn't want to. It meant crossing a lot of barriers he wasn't sure he wanted to. But maybe he wouldn't have to take the direct route. On more than one occasion, Harry had felt Snape attempt to look into his mind. He wasn't sure how often the Potions Master had done that prior to Harry's training. But it might be useful this time. He just hoped it would work.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
'Piss and damn,' Harry swore mentally. It had been two days since he had decided to test the waters against Snape's Legilimency. And an irritating trend had popped up in that time. Umbridge was sitting in on other teachers' classes. She would pick a spot behind the professor and interrupt regularly, asking them useless questions and clearing her throat in a way that made Harry want to throw her to the giant squid.
It had been mildly amusing seeing McGonagall stare her down, though. The Transfiguration professor had indeed assumed command of the school, which had left Umbridge looking annoyed. But she had gotten over it quickly enough. Almost too quickly. Harry didn't like it.
And now...
Now he was in Potions with two people he couldn't stand. Who the hell did he take the side of if they got into an argument?
'Well... I guess Snape's. He's a greasy bastard, but he's our greasy bastard. She's an outsider. And I need Snape's help,' Harry thought, watching as the Potions Master glared daggers at Umbridge, who had taken up a corner of the room. 'C'mon, you jackass... try prodding my mind again...'
Class proceeded normally for the first half hour, with Snape seeming more waspish than he normally did. But things really heated up when Umbridge began her questioning of his methods. It took Snape less than five minutes to put the Defense professor in her place - speechless and seated. Even with his barriers in place, Harry couldn't hide the smile on his face. A smile that, oddly enough, seemed to garner Snape's attention.
"And what, Mr. Potter, do you find so amusing?" Asked Snape as he walked towards Harry and Tonks' table.
"Nothing, sir." Harry said, his eyes meeting Snape's. He used all his power and 'pushed' against the barrier that Harry had been expecting. He wasn't disappointed. One of Snape's eyebrows cocked up and, seconds later, Harry felt the Potions Master pushing against his own barrier. He was damn near as strong as Dumbledore, which caught Harry off-guard, even though it shouldn't have. Snape had worked for Voldemort in the past. There had to be a few levels of security on something like that.
Harry let Snape in, as he wasn't sure he could keep him out anyway, and forced open the memory of him pacing the Pit. He wasn't sure how many members of staff had been informed of Harry's hideout, but if he wanted the Potions professor's help, he had to learn to give a little.
The staring match lasted mere seconds, but the information that passed between the two was great. When Snape pulled out, he gave Harry an unreadable look before turning and heading back towards his desk.
At the end of the class, after Umbridge had excused herself, Snape called for Harry to remain afterwards, stating that they needed to have a talk about his careless brewing habits. Harry readily agreed, knowing full well that he hadn't done that poor a job on the throwaway potion they had been creating.
Harry assured Tonks that he would be fine and, after giving him a strange look, headed out with the other students. Once the last had filed out and the doors had shut, Harry turned and looked at Snape, who was still sitting behind his desk.
"You've learned some new tricks, Potter."
"I felt it necessary. Should we dance around the issue or get straight to the point, sir?"
"To the point would be best." Snape stated, getting to his feet. "You wish to find out what is wrong with Mr. Malfoy and offer him safety from the Dark Lord. Correct?"
"Yes, sir." Said Harry. "I don't suppose he's come to you? Pansy's been talking to him, but I don't get much of a chance to talk to her these days."
"He has come to me, in fact. Quite torn up by the decision rapidly approaching him. He made no mention of the assistance he had given you, of course. Merely that he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Wondering if his father was the man he had believed him to be." Snape said.
"Sounds about right." Harry said, sighing and running a hand back through his hair. "Do you think I should approach him, sir? I have to do something before they get the Mark. But I don't think Pansy's going to be able to do this herself. He needs confirmation, from me, that I can help. It would help if the headmaster were around. Any idea on where he's gone, sir?"
"Fudge." Snape said, venom laced in his voice. "Our beloved Minister has seen fit to remove the headmaster from Hogwarts during these dark days."
"On what grounds?"
"Unfit teaching methods."
"Bloody toad."
"Indeed."
Harry scowled. "If things got any worse..."
"Oh, but they will, Potter. Minerva is unsure of how long she'll be able to keep her position as deputy headmistress. It would appear Umbridge is trying to wrest that away as well. It would appear that Fudge is trying to completely take Hogwarts under the Ministry's wing, as it were." Snape said.
"Fantastic." Harry muttered.
"In regards to Mr. Malfoy... that is your decision. I can only assume Albus knew of your... rooms. And in times such as these, sometimes drastic measures must be taken. Be aware that, as staff, we cannot assist you should anything happen. We are all under sharp watch these days. Umbridge has tapped many students to be her eyes and ears within these walls." Snape stated.
"One final question, sir."
"Yes?"
"I was hoping you'd help me with some answers... but this is a bit much. Why so helpful all of a sudden? Don't think it isn't greatly appreciated, but..." Harry trailed off.
"As I've stated, Potter - sometimes drastic measures must be taken. You seem to have an uncanny way of making the impossible possible, loathe though I am to admit it. This is beyond my capabilities. Draco left just as confused as when he came to me. In addition, I feel that those within this school must oversee any personal differences when faced with outside interference. This is no different than if the Dark Lord tried to launch a direct assault on Hogwarts grounds. And before you ask, I've overheard no such plans." Snape explained. "Though the invasion from the Ministry is no different. You are aware, of course, that the Dark Lord has people within the Ministry?"
"Naturally." Harry said.
"Umbridge is one of them." Snape said.
Harry closed his eyes as a chill shot down his spine. Gritting his teeth, he gave a nod and looked back to the Potions Master. "Kind of figured. Good to hear confirmation."
"She is the one who sent the Dementors after you. By the time I heard, it was too late to do anything. It was only by chance that Albus was around when you needed him. Your luck saved you again, Potter." Snape said.
"Getting a little tired of the good luck and bad luck trying to beat each other. Just once it'd be nice for them to balance out. The odds are always stacked against my favor, it seems." Harry said.
"Such is life." Snape said. "Any further questions, Potter?"
"No. I think I've asked all I wanted to."
"And Draco?"
"...We'll see." Harry said, pushing himself away from the desk he had been leaning against and turning for the door. "We'll see."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Well, it's a bit shorter than normal and took awhile to get out - blame Pokemon for that, kids. I've been a huge fan since the RBY days and it ate my life. Plus I wanted to give myself another vacation anyway. I hit a wall as hard as I could hit it and I just struggled with this one. It's only by chance that I thought of a way to end it. Unfortunately, it meant breaking the rest of the book's direction. My original plans didn't include Harry going to Snape.
So what have I done? Well, I've officially let Harry state who wrote him the letter. A number of you have guessed correctly - bravo there. I've also revealed a few plot points during Harry's pacing sequence that will come into place again later on - those of you who remember the supposed book 6 previews from a few books ago should recognize one or two. I've revealed Harry has serious plans to protect the Pit. And I've revealed that my version of Snape isn't a complete and utter DICKWEED. He respects Harry's capacity for Occlumency and thus feels like he can speak freely around him.
I'll be having another month-ish gap between this and the next. I have to rewrite the chapter guide... again. Version 5 we're up to now, if you can believe it. This was originally to be TWO chapters, so this marks the first(?) merger of book 5. And, finally, I have the fourth Gaiden done - has been for ages - and now that I've revealed Draco as the letter writer, I can finally release it. And you can all see what was written to Harry too.
Until next time, kids. Thanks for sticking by the fic despite the erratic updates.