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Fuck you, Bellatrix! Sirius thought as the red light from her wand hit him in the chest. He started to fall backwards.
Merlin! The arch for the Veil was right behind him! He desperately stretched out a hand to try to grab on to... on to anything. His fingertips scraped on stone and his hand spasmed, desperately holding on.
He wrenched his body sideways, knowing that falling beyond the Veil would be an ending and, dammit, it wasn't done with this life yet!
Another spell slid by him, absorbed into the Veil without a sound.
Sirius thudded to the floor, panting with the exertion. His shoulder hurt. He started to roll to one side but his leg was caught up in one of the curtains of the Veil.
Just then Harry slammed into him. Sirius automatically put an arm around the boy and looked around for further threats.
"Sirius!" Harry sobbed. "You almost fell through!"
Sirius saw Remus shoot a spell at Bellatrix, but she whirled away in Apparition, leaving behind a thread of maniacal laughter.
Remus hurried up to them, wand still out. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Sirius nodded. Anything not fatal could wait until later. He wasn't going to admit to anything he didn't have to with Harry in his arms.
"Is it over?" Sirius asked warily.
Remus replied, "I think so. But be alert." He continued to stand over them, protecting them from anyone else that might be lurking.
"I can do that," Sirius replied. He reached down to untangle the curtain that had wrapped around his leg. He didn't remember the curtains being long enough to do that. He put a hand on the curtain.
Cousin! A dry, dusty, ancient voice whispered in his head.
The Grimm inside Sirius cowered for a moment but also wagged its tail in familiarity. Sirius jerked and Harry's head came up.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked in a scared voice.
"Just caught," Sirius replied. "Let me untangle myself."
Harry loosened his grasp slightly, allowing Sirius to sit up and roll to one side.
Protect the youngling, for he is to be our Master... The voice faded.
Sirius clamped down his Occlumency shields.
Remus looked at him oddly at that, but Sirius shook his head. He finished untangling himself.
"Harry? Can you get up?" Sirius asked softly.
Harry nodded and scrambled to his feet. Sirius stood up next to him.
"Is it safe?" Harry asked. Sirius was glad to see that, as soon as he had released Sirius, Harry's wand was out and he was scanning for danger.
"For the moment," Remus said. "Wand out. Stay alert."
At that moment, Harry's friends came rushing into the room. They all started talking at once.
"SILENCE!" Sirius commanded. Fortunately, they became quiet. "You don't know who is still out there. Don't let your guard down until we know it's over."
Sirius was impressed when they went on alert, keeping their wands out and looking around the chamber.
Sirius nodded at Remus.
"Who's injured?" Remus asked.
"Ginny's leg is broken. Ron's badly hurt and I think he needs a Healer," Hermione offered. "Neville and Luna are mostly okay for the moment."
"Neville and Luna can stay here with Harry and Sirius," Remus decided. "Take me to Ron so I can get him out of here."
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said. She led him out of the chamber.
Sirius got the rest of the group moving and they finally met up with Dumbledore and the rest of the Order. As Sirius was about to organize a Portkey to send the youngsters away, he heard Harry hiss.
"Voldemort!"
Sirius whirled around to see a nightmare figure in the Atrium of the Ministry. He heard Harry set up a shield in front of their small group as Dumbledore moved forward to force Voldemort's attention on him and away from the others.
"Protego," Sirius said and he heard Neville and Luna echo him.
The battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore was fast and furious, demolishing the Atrium around them. Sirius backed his group up to a wall, hoping that it wouldn't fall in on them.
Suddenly, Voldemort was gone, Apparating away. The resulting silence was loud in his ears. He waited for a full minute before he dropped his shield. They had come too far to lose anyone to carelessness.
"Everyone okay?" Sirius demanded.
"Fine," Neville reported.
"Yes," Luna said softly.
But Sirius could the pain they held in their faces.
"Yes," Harry said. "You okay?"
"Think so," Sirius grinned. He was alive, Harry was here, that was what mattered most.
With Voldemort gone, Aurors and Ministry officials poured into the Atrium. Too late to do anyone any good.
"Harry, take care of the others," Sirius said softly as he stepped closer to the wall.
Harry nodded and watched as Sirius changed into his Grim form. "I suspect we have to go back to Hogwarts," Harry said. "I'll be at Grimmauld as soon as I can."
Sirius nodded. In the melee that ensued, Padfoot was overlooked and ambled outside the Ministry. Sirius found a quiet corner to change back to his human form before going back to Grimmauld.
It was hours before Remus came back to him. Remus grabbed Sirius and held him close.
"Don't scare me like that," Remus said fiercely.
Sirius held on just as tight. "Sorry. Bella caught me by surprise," he admitted. They stood there, soaking in the warmth of the other's body. He winced as Remus let go.
"You're hurt!" Remus said.
"Wrenched my shoulder," he admitted. "Just need a pain potion. I have some upstairs. It'll make me sleepy, so I'll take it later."
"I'll make sure you do," Remus promised.
"Come on," Sirius said in an effort to distract him. "Kreacher has food in the kitchen."
"He started this, you know," Remus said with a grimace of distaste. "Well, he played a major part. Ron Weasley told me all about it."
"What happened?" Sirius frowned.
Remus recounted Harry's 'vision' -- that must have come from Voldemort -- and how Kreacher would not answer Harry's questions about Sirius' location.
Sirius sighed. He had wanted to avoid this confrontation, but it no longer was an option.
"Kreacher!" Sirius called.
The elf popped into the room. "Blood traitor master called?"
Sirius debated. He couldn't give simply Kreacher clothes. Merlin only knew where he'd go. Sirius knelt down to look the elf in the eyes.
"I almost died tonight," Sirius said softly. "That would have been your fault. You lied to Harry about where I was."
"Master could have been anywhere," Kreacher protested slyly.
"I could have been," Sirius allowed. "But you lied to Harry."
"He is not my Master," Kreacher whined.
"He is Heir to the House of Black," Sirius pointed out. "If I had died, he would be your master."
Kreacher's eyes went wide in realization. He cringed back and wrung his hands together. "Kreacher did not know."
"You have dishonored the House of Black," Sirius went on, eerily calm. "That cannot go unpunished."
"Kreacher will obey Master Sirius," Kreacher said. But Sirius could hear the reluctance in the elf's voice.
"I think it's time you joined your Mistress," Sirius said. "Take her painting from the front hall -- " he debated for a moment "-- up to her room. You can mount it there. You can also mount your head next to it."
Kreacher stared. "Master Black would allow Kreacher to do that?"
Sirius nodded as he stood. Kreacher threw his bony arms around Sirius' knees. "Thank you, Master! Thank you!" He popped away.
Remus looked at him with a frown.
Sirius shrugged. "I can't let him go, he'd go to Bella or Cissy. Either is a nightmare. I can't keep him here any longer, I'll grow to hate him even more."
"It does get your mother's portrait out of the front hall," Remus allowed.
"And we can take those other heads down. That's the only good thing about all of this," Sirius replied with a wry grin. He sighed. "Food? Not that I know what there will be."
"I'll prepare something so you can sit down and tell me what happened back there with the Veil," Remus said.
"Oh, that," Sirius said, suddenly reluctant.
"Yes, that," Remus said firmly.
They went down to the kitchen and Sirius sat at the table as Remus poked into the various cupboards. "We'll need to do some shopping, but we'll be okay tonight and tomorrow for breakfast," Remus declared.
Sirius went to a side cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "I think I've earned some of this," he said. He waved the bottle at Remus. "Want some?"
Remus shook his head. "No, I think one of us needs to stay sober tonight," he said.
Sirius looked at the bottle and pulled out a glass. He poured two fingers of the amber liquid into the glass and put the bottle back. "What I really want to do is to go to Hogwarts and be there with Harry," he said. "Best I can do is be ready for him when he gets here."
"Good plan," Remus approved. "Now talk."
Sirius took his glass and sat at the table. He talked about starting to fall through the Veil and then grabbing on to the Arch. When he got to the voice that spoke to him, Remus turned around to stare.
"Master to both of you?" Remus said, stunned. Remus knew Padfoot was more than a dog, but... this was not anything he could have expected.
"I know!" Sirius replied. "It could only be talking about Harry, but I don't know what it meant."
Remus turned back to his work and soon had a plate of sandwiches set between them. "There's plenty for now, eat up," he directed. He sat across from Sirius and filled his own plate.
"Needs crisps," Sirius commented.
"I'll put them on the shopping list," Remus said dryly. "Eat."
They ate in silence, finishing up everything Remus had prepared.
As they sat, Remus absently drew a finger on the table top. "Do you remember James's cloak?"
Sirius grinned. "We got away with so much trouble, using that!" he laughed.
Remus gave a small grimace. "And I should have stopped you, but I didn't," he admitted.
"We were kids," Sirius said.
"We were," Remus said. "But not much older than Harry is now, you know."
Sirius thought about that and frowned. "Damn. When did we get old?"
Remus went on. "And you do know that Dumbledore carries the Elder Wand?"
Sirius nodded. "I think everyone knows that. So what?"
"Did you know that the Potter family is descended from the Peverells?" Remus asked.
Sirius frowned. "Ummm... maybe? Oh, wait. There were Peverell tombstones in the cemetery at Godric's Hollow? So, I would guess they're related."
"Which means Harry has at least remote access to two of the three Deathly Hallows," Remus said baldly. "I'm going to suspect that the Resurrection Stone will come to Harry at some point in his life."
"Remus!" Sirius protested in dismay.
Remus shrugged. "I'm just guessing at this point," he admitted. "But it's one explanation of what happened tonight. I may be wrong, but... something tells me I'm not."
"What do we do?" Sirius asked.
"We do whatever we can to help Harry," Remus said. "And we don't tell Dumbledore."
Sirius nodded. "I... I have to agree," he said slowly. "Can we tell anyone?"
"I don't think so," Remus said. "And we need a vow that we don't tell anyone until Harry tells us we can."
"We have to tell Harry!" Sirius protested.
"Tell him what?" Remus asked gently. "You're going to tell a fifteen year old boy that he might, at some point in the unknown future, come into possession of the three Deathly Hallows and become the Master of Death?"
"We need to be able to tell him if we think it's necessary," Sirius argued.
"We can lay some groundwork by making sure he's aware of the stories of the Hallows, but I think that's the best we should do," Remus said. "Prophesy is tricky and we don't want to make something happen that might not otherwise."
"True," Sirius nodded.
"And we prepare him to defend himself," Remus said. "He's good at Defense, but he needs to improve his dueling skills. We can spend the summer training him."
"Good idea," Sirius nodded. That would give him something specific to do this summer. Maybe he should talk to the Goblins about getting a real trial so he'd no longer be a fugitive from the Ministry. As Lord Black he should be able to protect Harry better.
"And I think we need to call it a night," Remus said. "It's been a long day."
"You're right," Sirius agreed. "We have a lot of planning to do."