The Iridescent Conclusion

“Snape,” the voice commanded with all the arrogance and superiority that he had come to expect from Malfoy Junior.

He cracked open his one good eye and peered through the curtain of greasy hair to where the younger man stood, glowering at him.

“Go away, Malfoy,” he growled and turned over, attempting to get comfortable on the make-shift bed that was, all said and done, little more than a thin cot on a rocky shelf.

“Our master has summoned you,” the blond youth informed him with a sneer. “If you insist, I shall tell him that you won’t be disturbed.”

At once, Snape was on his feet and glaring balefully at Malfoy’s smirk. “Perhaps, if you’d told me that our master wanted me in the first place,” he began but Malfoy cut him off.

“You didn’t even let me get that far. Go, attend to him. I’ll wait here for your return.”

Meaning that he was to get no sleep this night, Snape thought irritably and headed off towards the central meeting area where his lord kept council. He walked with a pronounced limp, exacerbated by the uneven floor of the tunnel.

The Dark Lord’s domain, he thought sourly, was a subterranean cave, complete with damp, stalactites, bad air and phosphorescent fungus. He recalled Lord Voldemort’s anger when he’d caught one of his Death Eaters referring to the dwelling as the Bat Cave, thus exposing his muggle heritage. Since then, this odious little hole was simply referred to as Head Quarters and no one dared question why the Dark Lord should choose to reside in such a place.

But Snape knew. Closer to his master than any of his brethren, Snape was party to many of the Dark Lord’s secrets; one of which was the destination of his frequent journeys away from this dank pit.

“Severus, my friend,” came the hail and Snape knelt before his master. As he then crept forward to kiss the hem of the Dark Lord’s robes, he pondered the term ‘friend’. Certainly, there was no truth in it; Lord Voldemort had neither friends nor use for them. And yet he had, on more than one occasion, referred to Snape as such and Snape could only presume that this was to undermine and disquiet his other followers. For many, Snape knew, considered themselves to be the Dark Lord’s closest follower, dearest companion and sole confidant. Fools.

Snape was indeed the Dark Lord’s closest and yet he was fully aware that his master kept things from him; jealously guarding secrets and agendas.

“Rise, friend.” Voldemort commanded, using that same term and tone of voice. There was, however, an edge of rebuke and Severus chided himself for wool-gathering in his master’s presence.

“Severus, I know I have summoned you from sleep,” his master began, gesturing for him to sit at a table as a boy poured wine for them both. “I will not keep you long but I wanted to share with you some news.”

“My lord?” Snape looked up with interest and accepted the wine without acknowledging the boy.

“Go now, Louis.” The Dark Lord said to the boy, “Warm my bed, I won’t be long.” He took a sip of the wine as his eyes followed the child from the cavern and then, when they were quite alone, he turned his scarlet eyes upon Snape. “Do you recall the prophesy?” he asked keenly.

At once, Snape nodded and frowned, unsure where this could lead. The prophesy was old, dead – along with James, Lily and Harry Potter. He, himself had taken a hand in that.

“In an alternate reality, the boy survived.” Voldemort began, “The killing curse rebounded upon me, saving the boy and casting me adrift. A fragment of my soul drifted alone and friendless for more than a decade whilst my mortal shell was cast here, to my alternate self. You remember I explained? When I was able to reform my physical self on the other side?”

Snape nodded slowly, recalling the day, two years ago, when his master had suddenly been able to travel from one reality to another. That had been when they’d come here, to this subterranean den where the Dark Lord was able to channel his power and pass from one world to the next.

“Yes,” Voldemort nodded, seeing the memory in Snape’s mind. “Well, you see, the boy has come here also, Severus.”

“My lord?” Snape sat up straighter and set down his glass, “He has followed you? Does he believe that he can harm you?”

“He may,” the Dark Lord shrugged, unconcerned. “Though, of course, he cannot. All the time that I can traverse between worlds, nothing Harry Potter casts upon me can do any harm at all. But you see, Severus,” he leaned forward conspiratorially, “we can destroy Harry Potter and rule two worlds at once.”

“My lord,” Snape inclined his head and very carefully kept his thoughts to himself. Did his master really think that this was ruling? Rule from here? This dark, never-ending labyrinth of tunnels and caverns?

“There is more, however,” Voldemort said then. “The boy did not come alone; he brought two companions with him.”

There was something in the way that his master spoke that drew Snape’s interest. He appeared as one carrying a particularly volatile explosive.

“His companions are known as Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape,” Voldemort explained, delivering the bombshell. “They are, by all accounts, fighting on the side of the light and good.” Nothing could disguise the air of revulsion and distaste in the Dark Lord’s voice, just then.

“Draco is working for Dumbledore?” Snape exclaimed in surprise. “Don’t tell me,” he said then with a bitter shake of his head, “during their confrontation, Lucius converted him instead of dying, as he did here.”

“No, Severus,” Voldemort shook his head. “Lucius works for me in their reality and Draco is the blood traitor.”

“Curious.” Snape noted with a little tilt of his head. “My lord,” he said then but hesitated before beginning once more. “My lord, if we were to take hold of these alter egos of ourselves, Malfoy and I could assume their positions beside Potter.”

“Indeed,” the Dark Lord nodded slowly and looked Snape up and down with a critical eye. “However, whilst Draco could easily swap places, I feel that you might need some Polyjuice potion to assume you alter ego’s place. He is quite whole, you see: two eyes, a fit and healthy body and no limp.”

“Ah,” Snape inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Alternatively, my lord, could we not use magic to correct these faults permanently?”

“Severus, you know that incidental magic can disturb the balance within these caverns,” Voldemort began, sounding almost regretful. He stopped though and regarded the man before him for a minute. “Well, yes, alright then. Stand and I’ll perform the magic now. Then you can return to your bed and Draco can enjoy you whole and healthy for a change.”

Snape said nothing but stood patiently and tried not to think that this should have been done ages ago when the wounds were fresh.

*~*~*

Although Harry, Draco and Severus didn’t actually discuss it again right away, it was generally assumed that they would complete the Nameless spell. However, despite Dumbledore’s warnings, it was hard to feel threatened within the fortress-like safety of the castle. Therefore, whilst the decision seemed to have been made in principal, the actual conjuring of the spell was allowed to slide for a few days.

At least, that was what Harry told himself. In truth, he had his own concerns but wasn’t prepared to face them yet, never mind voicing them to Sev and Draco.

“Gone. All gone and Nik…Nik’s here. Nik’s all alone…”

The Saturday after their arrival in this reality found Harry sitting with Nik in the former professor’s living room. Sirius wasn’t with him today and Harry was beginning to wish he hadn’t confidently asserted that he could visit Nik alone as the man in question was currently sitting cross-legged under the dining table.

“They’ve gone…my beautiful Arryl…and my Cerys…gone…” Nik sniffled and shifted further back towards the wall.

“Who were they?” Harry asked, hoping to break the constant stream of words and phrases. He settled down on the carpet too and gazed between the table legs.

“My sisters,” Nik answered after a moment. “Arryl was the eldest and Cerys…she was just eight, not of the Community yet, but they killed her all the same.” His blue eyes were distant as he stared back across his memories. “She had the brightest smile and Arryl always said that she had my laugh.”

“Did they live with you here?” Harry asked softly.

A slight shake of the head and Nik sighed. “Our home was in Monmouth, near Hereford. Many of the Community lived there. Oh, we didn’t have to be close,” he added then, looking up at Harry as if he’d asked a question. “Such was our bond that we could be scattered across the globe and we’d still be in contact. You have to complete the spell!” he declared suddenly, looking quite incensed.

“I…” Harry started, blinking in shock at the sudden swing in mood and topic. “We will. We talked about it. We just -”

“I wouldn’t want to join with you,” Nik said then, as if Harry had asked. “I couldn’t join with anyone else now. They’re gone…all dead…only silence. Poor Nik.”

Harry sighed sadly and looked down at his hands for a few minutes while the man went back to his absent muttering. He gazed at the gold ring on his little finger and then looked across to his companion under the table. There, on the man’s little finger, was a band of pale skin as if he’d worn the same type of ring until very recently. Averting his gaze, however, Harry decided not to mention its absence.

“Nik,” he began then, hoping to again engage the former professor in conversation, “how did we get through to this reality?” It was something that Severus and Draco had spent the whole week researching but, although they’d found texts on how to move about within one’s own space and time, there was nothing about alternate realities.

“Dead and gone and silent and dark…the rings are strong because your bond is weak and broken…” Nik responded, mid-stream.

“It’s broken?”

“It isn’t whole. When you complete the spell, you will have command over the rings.”

“So the rings brought us here from our world? Why?” Harry frowned.

“The rings have no intelligence – of any sort.” Nik explained and started to crawl towards Harry of his own free will. “Whatever you were all doing, the rings must have reacted to some thought or desire – even subconscious. Were you in danger?”

“No,” Harry replied mildly, trying to think of a way in which to politely explain their activity at the time the rings had flared to life. “We were together,” he began and then flushed scarlet and swore softly.

Nik regarded him calmly for a few long seconds; his eyes shrewd and calculating. “The Nameless spell brings our tastes and appetites to a common level,” he said slowly. “Whatever you were doing, it is quite natural and nothing to be ashamed of.”

Harry blinked and then forged on without even attempting to enter a discussion about tastes, appetites or sex in any shape or form. “We were together and I remember looking down at Sev’s Dark Mark,” he continued and realised what he’d said when Nik’s eyes widened in shock. “He used to be a Death Eater but something happened and he came across to our side,” he hastened to add. “Anyway, I was looking down at the Mark and then at Draco who was sick. I can remember thinking that it was wrong that Voldemort and…and Dumbledore are able to dictate how they live, breathe and even die. They’re mine. I don’t mean that I have the right to dictate or manipulate them either but…” he floundered and looked desperately at Nik.

“You’re bound together,” Nik nodded. “They are yours, just as you are theirs. It’s understandable that you should feel jealous and possessive.” He gave Harry a long look then. “Is that the last thing you remember thinking and feeling before the journey to this reality?”

Harry nodded silently.

“The rings perhaps responded to your unspoken desire to take your companions to a place where none of you could be manipulated. For despite his wishes that you might stay, our Albus has no authority over any of you.”

“But we’re stuck here.” Harry said miserably and wondered absently about what Dumbledore’s wishes might be.

“Only until you cast the rest of the spell.” Nik replied and offered a small smile. “Go now, Harry. Work this spell with your lovers and, above all, guard them. Where they go, you go; what they do, you do.” He nodded once, “When you next come back, you bring them with you and never mind what Albus says. He thinks that my sanity can be saved enough so that I’ll one day link with others again and form a new Nameless Community.”

Harry stared at him, astounded by what he’d just said. So Nik surmised that Sev and Draco were his lovers (well, he would have been right once upon a time) and he knew too that Dumbledore had his own plans and that he could be somewhat ruthless in his desire to win this war.

“Go,” Nik whispered and then something altered and his gaze turned slightly inward. “My sweet Cerys…the brightest smile…”

Harry offered the man a gentle smile before standing and walking quietly to the door.

*~*~*

“Siri, listen to me,” Remus insisted, following his partner up the stairs and along the landing to their bedroom. “Don’t just walk away and hope the situation will sort itself out.”

“Remus, the situation is fucked. Yes? We know that. Harry has gone – just gone! Along with Snape and Draco and Merlin knows where they are but I don’t believe they’d take off and leave us to worry about them! Draco was at death’s door, for crying out loud. So that’s the situation. How the hell do you suggest this plan of yours can help us?” Sirius demanded, staring at Remus with anger and desperation in his eyes.

“Because we suspect that Voldemort had a hand in their disappearance; because you’re right – they wouldn’t just go! But most of all, because we need a spy. Our network was disbanded and destroyed last year and we need someone on the inside.”

“Alison’s doing that, though,” Sirius argued, gesturing wildly. “She’s following Lucius around, attending meetings and such like. If she knew anything, she’d have said!”

“But maybe she isn’t being included in every meeting,” Remus responded, a note of pleading in his voice. “Sirius, I can go, join the werewolves in the Forbidden Forest and live with them for a while.”

“It would take at least two full moons for them to accept you, though. Two months, Moony! It’s too dangerous and what will you learn in this couple of months anyway?” Sirius shook his head, “Two months and Harry could be long dead. Merlin, he could be dead already; it’s been a week and no sign, nothing…”

As quickly as it had come, so Sirius’ anger left him and Remus stepped in quickly to take the man into his arms.

“I know,” he whispered against the warm skin of Sirius’ neck. “You’re right, but I can’t just stand around, doing nothing, not helping. It’s all too strange.”

A footstep on the stairs drew the two men apart then and Remus turned to see Alison coming up to find them.

Since her discovery at Lucius’ dinner party, much had happened in her complicated world of interwoven spying and family. Daniel had made a brief appearance at her house in Southampton before begging for time and distance. It was evidently over between him and Lucius and Alison seemed torn between relief and pain for her brother.

“I’ve asked,” she said gravely now. “I probably asked too much, in all honesty, but I’ll deal with any fall-out later.” She shook her head then, “There’s no news. If Voldemort’s got Harry, his Death Eaters know nothing about it. In fact, Voldemort seems to have been gone for a while.” She added.

“A week?” Sirius asked with a little curl of his lip, “Has he taken Harry and vanished with him?”

“Harry, along with Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy?” Alison raised her eyebrows. “Sirius, I don’t believe that he could manage that on his own. And if he killed two and took the third, we’d know.”

“I don’t see how.” Sirius responded despondently. “How many wizards has Voldemort murdered? We can only count them by the bodies found, the loved ones reported missing.” He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. “Maybe he’s killed all of them and just moved on.”

“Siri,” Remus turned at the broken sound of his lover’s voice. With a soft murmur, he reached out to clasp the other man’s shoulder and allowed his thumb to touch the other man’s collarbone that was exposed by his open shirt.

“Actually, Voldemort’s been gone longer than a week,” Alison interjected quietly. She gazed sympathetically at the two men for a moment. “Rabastan knew nothing but then I hardly expected him to. I’ve spoken to others, though – higher ranking, closer to Voldemort – and they’ve said the same. Their orders still stand: if they perceive the opportunity, then they should abandon all else for the chance to seize Harry Potter.”

This drew Remus and Sirius apart and they stared at her.

“That’s a standing order?” Sirius asked, looking shocked. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised,” he commented ruefully, “Voldemort’s been trying to get Harry since the day he was born!”

Remus, though, was looking speculatively at Alison. “What about Lucius?” he asked carefully, “Did you ask him?”

Since the split with Daniel, Alison had been drawn more and more into Lucius’ circle of elite Death Eaters; a situation that neither Remus nor Sirius were happy about.

“I would have,” she shrugged, “but he’s missing…as well…” With a look of slow dawning horror, she realised what she’d said. “Oh shit,” she breathed.

“His son, his former lover and Harry Potter – all in one neat parcel!” Sirius growled, “And he’d do it with or without his master’s instructions, out of sheer spite.”

“And revenge,” Remus added, recalling the account of how Harry had stopped Lucius’ heart with will alone and how, last summer, Lucius had been sent to Azkaban.

“It still seems incredible that he could manage to take all three of them at once,” Alison protested with a little shake of the head. “I mean, Snape might be a bastard but he’s a powerful bastard and, whilst I don’t know much about Draco, Harry’s got enough power to fight an army of Lucius Malfoys.”

“Unless Lucius managed to capture one,” Sirius argued. “If he got hold of Draco, stunned him – hell, the state that Draco was in, he wouldn’t even need to do that - and then threatened to kill him unless Snape and Harry…” he swallowed and glowered at the very thought of it.

“We should take this to Albus,” Remus said quietly. “This information could be invaluable. We can track Lucius – a Hunter spell or something.”

“I’ll send him an owl,” Alison offered. It wasn’t the fastest way of relaying information but it was certainly the safest.

Sirius nodded, glad at least that there was no more talk of Remus turning spy for the Order.

*~*~*

A body, neat, compact; firm flesh, narrow hips and slender waist, broadening into a wider chest and shoulders. Smooth, supple arms that wound around him and long, tapered legs – almost too beautiful to be a boy’s – that wrapped around or slid between his own. And a soft, yet sculpted mouth with an eminently kissable bottom lip, the sweetest breath against his cheek and silky-soft white-blond hair under his fingers…

‘And my eyes?’ Draco asked with a hint of amusement, mid-kiss.

Harry drew back and regarded Draco thoughtfully. ‘Liquid silver,’ he noted silently, ‘mixed with mercury with an almost lapis lazuli blue rim.’

Within his mind, Draco laughed delightedly and pressed close again for another deep, open-mouthed and seriously heated kiss.

“Honestly,” Severus chided from across the room. “Potter, I’m appalled and astounded that you could come up such sentimental, over-indulgent clap-trap.”

Slowly, relinquishing Draco’s lips with obvious reluctance, Harry drew back and then smirked as Draco leaned around him to poke his tongue out at the Potions master.

“And that would be ‘Harry’,” Harry noted over his shoulder pointedly, “not ‘Potter’.”

“Whatever, I’m sure,” Severus remarked and made a big show of turning a page in his book.

Confused at the Potion master’s attitude, Harry looked his question towards Draco.

‘We overheard your conversation with Nik,’ Draco explained, finally taking a step back and sitting down.

They were within their suite of rooms once more and Harry had yet to tell them anything of his interview with Nik. It seemed, he reflected, that here was little point.

“So we need to work this spell,” Severus stated flatly, still staring down at his open book.

“Only if you want to,” Harry said, feeling stung. What exactly had he done wrong now, he wondered? Just lately, it seemed that he couldn’t turn around without offending Severus.

Upon hearing this thought, the Potions master sighed and stood up. He looked, for a moment, as if he might make some comment, perhaps an apology. The next moment, however, he turned and walked a few paces towards the door, heading towards his room.

‘Sev,’ Draco said silently, his tone stern within their minds, ‘we need to know if you have a problem with this.’

Severus paused and turned his head a little, looking over his shoulder from the corner of his eyes. “My problems are my own,” he replied stiffly and made as if to continue on his way.

“Do you want to work the spell, though?” Harry pressed, trying, even as he asked, to determine the older man’s thoughts and emotions.

Again, Severus halted and this time he turned around fully. ‘It isn’t a case of what I want,’ he sent the thought out.

‘Yes it is,’ Harry retorted, slightly sharper than he intended. Aloud, he added, “Considering that we’re discussing the rest of our lives, I need to know if you’d be entering the spell willingly.”

The Potions master drew a deep breath as he considered Harry’s earnest face and sombre, dark green eyes. At length, he exhaled, bowed his head and then, finally, slowly, he walked back to where Harry had remained standing.

The boy’s posture, he realised, was guarded, defensive. Any moment, he expected to be rejected, rebuffed and abandoned all over again and, judging from his stance, he wasn’t about to wait around that long.

There was therefore nothing that Severus could do other than reach out and caress the back of Harry’s head with one gentle, long-fingered hand.

“You confuse the hell out of me,” Harry confessed, looking up at him from beneath dark eyelashes.

“It’s what I do.” Sev replied in his most polished drawl. He shook his head then and looked momentarily pained.

‘So,’ Draco said then, looking from Harry to Sev, ‘what’s your answer?’

‘Yes, I want to work the spell with you.’ Severus responded, his voice within their minds low and troubled.

“But?” Harry queried, still looking unhappy.

At this, Severus sighed and sank down to sit beside Draco before looking up at Harry. “But…I’m not sure that the two of you should be linked with someone of my age. There are also aspects of my life to which I would prefer you not to be exposed. The spell as we’ve worked it so far allows me to protect you. You only see the memories that I allow. Others…darker…bloodier…are kept from you,”

“For our own good?” Harry sneered.

The mood in the room had changed dramatically from when he’d first returned from visiting Nik. When he’d first walked in and kissed Draco, the mood had been calm, tranquil. Now, however, the very air seemed charged with adrenalin and any minute he expected their discussion to turn into a fight. And why? Because Severus wanted to protect him from the horrors that he’d committed in the past?

“Exactly.” Severus said, hearing the question within Harry’s own head, “You have no idea of what I’ve done.”

“I think I have a fair idea.” Harry lifted his chin defiantly, his eyes flashing with a spark of true anger. “I spent two months learning how Death Eaters amuse themselves. I doubt if your own acts could be any worse!”

“No.” Sev replied with such a sense of remorse that Harry almost regretted being so sharp. Almost. Except that the Potions master was still resolutely believing that he knew best.

“I do know best,” Severus nodded firmly.

“You don’t!” Harry retorted, his voice rising sharply. “You’re forgetting what I’ve seen, what I’ve done, what…what they…” Abruptly, he started to shake and he hated, hated that the memories could still do that to him.

‘Harry,’ Draco stood in one swift, fluid movement and stepped forward to capture his lover against him. He turned his head then and glared at his guardian. ‘I don’t get this,’ he announced suddenly. ‘Why are you being such a bastard when you, yourself, have admitted that you love him? What, you only love us so much? There’s a limit now? Severus, I’ve been to these Death Eater meetings; I’ve seen what goes on. For fuck sake, I saw what they did to Harry!’

Severus opened his mouth to speak, to make some response but Harry evidently had had enough. With a physical shudder that loosened Draco’s hold on him, he pushed forward, took two steps and paused before the Potions master.

“It doesn’t matter,” he snarled venomously. “You don’t want to join with us, that’s fine. We’ll manage without you.”

“Potter,” Severus’ head snapped up with all the affronted, authoritarian fire at his disposal but Harry was no longer listening.

In a few more steps, he’d made it to the door and with a short, sharp tug, slammed it behind him.

‘You’re an idiot, Severus.’ Draco advised sadly and went after Harry.

*~*~*

Dumbledore responded to Alison’s owl with fortunate haste and sat now in their living room with Sirius and Remus. Alison was making a pot of tea and Jenna was currently working in Manchester today. Oscar was sitting in the middle of the room, ostensibly playing but also keeping an eye on the Headmaster.

They’d met before, of course, but this was perhaps the first time in his life that Oscar clearly remembered a non-family member after a period of separation.

Aware of the child’s curious glances, Dumbledore shifted in his seat, crossed his legs and discharged a sparkling fountain of blue and purple stars from the end of his wand. Oscar immediately sat up straight and gave the old man his full attention.

“Again?” he requested.

“Oscar, ask nicely.” Remus told him with just a hint of rebuke.

The boy’s eyes flicked once towards Remus and, having decided long ago that he couldn’t get away with anything with this one, looked back at Dumbledore and spoke again.

“Please,” he emphasised, “do it again.”

The Headmaster chuckled and created another burst of stars. These, however, failed to burst and disappear at the others had. Instead, they danced around Oscar’s head and jittered about as he tried to catch them.

“You wished to see me?” Dumbledore said then as Alison returned with a conjured tray of teacups.

“We were discussing our…missing friend,” she said, giving Oscar a careful look.

Understanding that she’d rather not discuss the matter in front of the child, Dumbledore glanced at his conjured stars and sent them bobbing and dancing out of the room. At once, Oscar leapt to his feet and trotted after them.

“He has a playroom in the den now,” Sirius smiled and watched as the stars led the little boy down the steps and along the hallway.

Once they heard the door click, Alison finished pouring tea and came straight to the point.

“We think we know where Harry is,” she said. And then, before he could respond, she went on, “Albus, I’m sorry. I should have brought this to you before but I didn’t realise. I mean, I just didn’t think,” she said with a shake of her dark head.

“My dear Alison, forgive me but I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dumbledore replied. “You say you know where Harry is?”

“We were talking,” Sirius said then, “and I asked Alison if Lucius had mentioned anything about Voldemort having Harry, Draco and Snape in his custody. She said -”

“I said I hadn’t seen anything of Lucius,” Alison interjected. “He’s disappeared too.”

“And so we put two and two together,” Remus supplied.

“And came up with three,” Dumbledore finished for them, speaking quietly but firmly.

They sat in silence for several minutes and then, finally, Sirius shook his head. “Excuse me?”

“Lucius Malfoy doesn’t have Harry.” Dumbledore stated calmly. At Sirius’ frown, he added, “I am quite certain, Sirius. I met with Lucius just this morning and I was privy to all that he has seen and done in the past year.”

“Um…” Alison said, even as Remus and Sirius sat in stunned silence. “Sir, how is that…I mean, what…?”

“How did you come to be in a meeting with Lucius Malfoy?” Sirius demanded, cutting across her.

“And was that wise? To meet with him alone?” Remus asked, “Albus, Lucius Malfoy is a ruthless monster – as many people, Harry not the least, could confirm,” he reached out then and took a firm grip of Sirius’ hand as the man gave an involuntary growl. “And how can you be certain that he wasn’t concealing anything from you?”

“Remus, firstly, I didn’t see him alone; I had Kingsley with me. Secondly, I am quite an accomplished Legilimens. I had no trouble in accessing Lucius’ thoughts and memories and, I assure you, I would know if he was working to hold anything back. In fact, he was most open to my searching.

“I have witnessed his acts; I have shared his thoughts, dreams, hopes and aspirations. He is,” he looked directly at Alison, “quite distraught without your brother, you know. He didn’t want me to see how much he was grieving but, as I say, he concealed nothing in the end.”

“Why though?” Alison asked, looking shaken. “Why would he allow you to do that?” And then her eyes widened in shock, “Oh sweet Merlin, the aurors have arrested him, haven’t they?”

“No, my dear, they haven’t arrested him. And, if I have anything to do with it, they never will.”

“What?” Sirius demanded loudly and shot to his feet. “Albus, what the hell are you saying? Are you defending what this paedophilic, child molesting son of a wretched whore did to my godson?”

“Sirius,” Remus winced at his partner’s choice of words, “calm down.”

“I am calm!” Sirius shouted before realising the contradiction. He took a deep breath and paused for a beat before looking once more at Dumbledore for an explanation.

“I am not defending him,” the Headmaster replied quietly. “I am perhaps more aware than anyone what Lucius has done. However, I also know that he has been forced to do much of what we would accuse him.”

“So Voldemort put him up to it? To bugger a child and leave scars like fucking trophies? Poor Lucius -”

“Okay, Siri, that’s enough,” Remus said in a calm but unfalteringly firm voice. “Go and check on Oscar,”

“No, Remus, I’m not going to let this go,” Sirius shook his head stubbornly.

“Sirius, we trust Albus, don’t we?” Remus asked, looking unhappy, “He’s saved our lives on numerous occasions, he’s kept Harry as safe as anyone can and he has the intelligence to know a fraud. Do we agree that we can trust his judgement?”

In response, Sirius shrugged, mumbled something and then walked out of the room. At the door, though, he paused and turned to look hard at Dumbledore.

“Forgive me,” he muttered and then drew his wand in a smooth arc, “Finite incantatum totalis!” When nothing happened, he shrugged again. “Had to be certain that you weren’t under Imperius.” He offered as a muttered explanation and then left.