Fic: No Hiding Place book Four: The Cupboard Under The Stairs (32/32)

[sua_lay]

Title: No Hiding Place: Book Four: The Cupboard Under the Stairs (32/32)
Author: Rimau Sua Lay
Rating: overall NC-17, Angst, Drama, Action/Adventure, First Time
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Harry/Snape, Ron/Draco, (Sirius/Remus)
Date: December 2002 - ?
Disclaimers: Not mine, borrowed without permission, am not making any money. Please don't sue. Sherbet Lemon?
Summary for Book Four: -Before you can go forward, you must face your past. Sins of the father may bury the son. Harry will find out if a dog really is the man's best friend.
Warning: This part contains deaths, gore, mention of het rape, explicit sex between men, disturbing themes, angst and a partridge in a pear tree.

The earlier parts of the fic can be found here.

Part 32

No matter how he tried not to, Harry couldn't help pacing across the small room; to the door and then back to the fireplace where the wards against flooing made the air almost shimmer with magic.

This kind of waiting was the worst kind. He could hear people gathering in the meeting hall, voices blurred by the wooden door but still echoing clear enough that he could hear the crowd.

He didn't like the idea of making an entrance, but apparently it was expected of him.

Nothing new there.

Unable to stand still, he walked back to the fireplace, ignoring the amused glance Ron threw at him. There was nothing funny about this! Then his gaze flickered to the small mirror and he had to smile a little. So maybe it was funny how he was pacing like a nervous groom before the wedding ceremony.

The thought made him stand still, but unlike before, he let all the memories of the only wedding he'd attended to flood through his mind. It was a happy memory, and if he flinched every time he remembered Percy and Penny it meant that he was giving away some precious.

He continued the pacing.

Ron's quiet presence was a relief; Dumbledore had waylaid Snape as soon as they'd arrived at the Headquarters and the rest of his new family was busy somewhere else. Staying here all alone would have probably driven Harry to climb the walls.

Of course it also presented him with an opportunity to actually deal with a situation that felt like a repetition of all the preludes to a fight in their friendship. Deal with it before it exploded and icy silence followed.

Adjusting the collar of his robes, Harry let out a sigh. He wasn't really good at this, but he had to talk to Ron before the meeting. "Hey, when we get in there..." What could he say? Was there anything he could really say now that didn't take hours of explaining? "Things are gonna change."

"Yeah! I can't believe the Ministry guys are finally here!" Trying not to show his nerves, Ron muttered, "I wonder if my dad's there already."

Harry saw that Ron was ready to go to his family, but he couldn't let him leave yet. "Ron."

The very serious tone made Ron's bouncing foot still. He turned to look at his friend, unprepared to see the worry on his face. "What is it?"

"I..." Running his hand across his face and then ruffling his already messy hair, Harry simply blurted it out. "You know I don't want eternal glory, right?"

The familiar phrase made Ron raise an eyebrow. "This is a meeting, Harry. Not the Triwizard Tournament. And yeah, I know."

"I mean it, Ron. I don't want people to remember my name or everyone to worship me. Or follow me. But eventually everyone will come to follow me, and not just the Order. If there was any other way..." But there wasn't. Harry had known it for a very long time.

Ron waited for a moment in case Harry was actually going to finish his sentence before muttering, "Yeah, I know."

He was beginning to worry about the whole thing. What on earth were they going to talk about? What would make Harry look so scared?

It was startling to realize that Harry wasn't so much scared of what was behind the door as he was of his reaction. Ron swallowed hard at that. Yeah, so what if he spent more time with Snape? It wasn't Snape here now; it wasn't Snape whose reaction Harry needed to see. He was still Harry's best friend, and he was bloody well going to act like one. "I know it's not easy to be here, but..."

"But it's time to do what's right. Not what's easy." Harry nodded.

Ron stared at him for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Merlin! You can be such a dramatic bastard, Harry!"

For a moment, Harry could just stare. Then he grinned, joining Ron's chuckles a moment later.

No matter what else would happen, he would still have this.

When the laughter died, both stood there, staring at the door and listening to the excited buzz coming from behind it.

"You know, I've been thinking." Voice quiet, Harry leaned his back against the wall and wondered why the fact that the words didn't produce an amused snort was so damn painful. It wasn't as if he didn't already know he was alone with Ron. "I wish I could sing. Or paint. Or write books. I'd love to buy a small cottage somewhere and become an artist." With his fortune, the artistic exploits would simply be a thing to do.

Ron blinked. He craned his neck to stare at his friend. "Um... I don't think being a singer would let you become a hermit, you know."

"I know." It wasn't a real plan anyway. Just a stupid dream his stupid mind had conjured up. "Let's go. The others are waiting."

Ignoring the worried glance Ron threw at him, Harry turned to the door, hesitating just a moment before pushing it open.

He felt the curious gazes like a mallet hitting him in the face as dozens of people turned to stare at him. Keeping his expression calm, he focused on the empty seat next to Dumbledore's and walked slowly to take his place.

It was strange to be surrounded by so many people he barely knew. Most of the Order members living in Hogsmeade were present and their presence was familiar, but the multitude of Aurors was more than slightly disconserting. The leader of their world sitting right there surrounded by his troops was even worse.

"Minister Fudge." Harry nodded politely at the man.

Nodding ever so slightly back, Fudge smiled a false smile. "Harry Potter. How good to see you again." He even gestured at the seat Harry was heading to, as if it was his hall and his right to invite people to sit.

The small gesture made some of the Order members grumble, but one look from Harry silenced most of them.

Harry sat down, leaning back in the chair. He had absolutely no idea whatsoever what he should say or do, so he waited for Dumbledore and Fudge to begin the meeting. It was clear from the expression on the Minister's face that he wouldn't have to wait for long.

To his surprise, it was Dumbledore who was the first to raise his voice.

"Welcome all to our new meeting hall." Smiling benignly as always, Dumbledore nodded at the room in general. "It's good to see so many of you here."

"It's a pleasure to be here, professor." Fudge was clearly lying. "We have been working towards the same goal for a long time now, and it's definitely the time to unite as one. No darkness shall prevail against the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix."

Random applause came from the ranks of the Aurors, with a few members of the Order joining in.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together louder than anyone else. "Excellent!"

His example made more people show their enthusiasm, and for a moment, everyone in the room was united by the strangely festive mood.

It didn't last for long.

"Before we start negotiating about our joint venture, I must insist on one thing." His voice deceptively sweet, Fudge glanced around the room. "There have been many losses when our people have met the Death Eaters, even in places we'd thought were safe. We can not be too careful these days."

He sounded concerned and earnest; as if he weren't the same man who had only weeks earlier tried to pretend that the Dark Lord and his followers were simply a very bad dream.

Those who had been in the Order since the first Voldemort war looked suspicious. They did not trust anyone except their own people, especially not Fudge. Others however were nodding, young people whispering and pointing at where Hermione was sitting next to Ron and Blaise Zabini. They knew betrayal could be disguised as anything.

Dumbledore cocked his head. "What are you suggesting, Cornelius?" There was nothing but polite curiosity in his voice.

"We do know how the enemy identifies itself. They are loyal to the Dark Lord and his cause, proud of what they are." It was becoming quite clear on where he was heading. "I must insist that everyone in this room roll up their left sleeve to reveal their arm."

There was an excited murmur coming from the crowd. Some were clearly agreeing with Fudge, already rolling up their sleeves. The most enthusiastic ones yanked both their sleeves up. Once again there were those who clearly didn't like the idea, casting annoyed looks at the Minister.

Fudge held up his hand. "I'm sorry, but I do not see another way. I must insist." He knew Dumbledore wouldn't refuse his order. They needed him.

Hard look in his usually twinkling eyes, Dumbledore nodded once. "We will of course agree to your proposal."

The Aurors started rolling up their sleeves after a moment of silence. They exposed their left arm with crooked smiles. This was familiar to all of them, the paranoia driving them to test each other every once in a while. One by one, people revealed their unmarked forearms.

Most of the young Order members followed their suit, with older ones hesitating for a moment before complying. It was almost amusing to see similar irritated expressions on professor Hooch, McGonagall and Arabella Figg.

Remus pushed his sleeve up with some difficulty, revealing an angry looking red scar on his wrist. It was extremely strange to see him sitting there alone, without his shadow, but if things went well, they would call Sirius in later.

When Draco straightened his back before moving to open his cuffs, there were whispers, his last name repeated over and over again in the room. People all concentrated on him, most wondering if they would indeed see the black mark on the boy's forearm.

Sneering, Draco showed his arm, daring anyone to make a comment of his pale skin.

There was a worried look on Hermione's face. She'd noticed a few bruises on him, all of them looking like fingerprints. They were faded a bit, but it was still clear how he'd got them. It made her glance at Ron. They really needed to talk. She didn't like Malfoy and wouldn't change her mind as long as he still considered Muggleborns less than those with so called pure blood -- that meant probably never -- but this was just wrong.

The room was quiet now, except for the rustling sound as people pulled their sleeves back down. Sharing this was somehow uniting everyone. The Aurors felt relieved, knowing that they wouldn't have to fight these people. Members of the Order could see the Aurors meant business. They were all fighting a common enemy.

Harry was watching the progression with disdain. He could understand how this would seem like a good idea to someone and they really needed to know, but there were better ways to show if there were any Death Eaters with them, like various potions or the wards even now surrounding the large building. This would be their headquarters for the duration of the war. Did Fudge really think they weren't prepared?

Seeing the smile caress the Minister's lips, Harry realized he indeed knew what was going on. All this seemed to be just a way for the man to show who was in charge. And maybe something else.

Up until now, he'd resented this turn in the events, wishing he wouldn't have to go through this. Another emotion was now slowly replacing the melancholy; anger.

There were only a few people in the room who had yet to prove themselves. Harry didn't even bother to look at Dumbledore when the old wizard showed everyone his forearm. He was already concentrating on the man next to him.

Snape looked as cold as ever, his gaze burning black. There was no evidence of worry or fear on his face as he faced a room of wand happy Aurors. Moving slowly, he pushed the sleeve of his frock coat up, revealing a white undershirt. His ink stained fingers formed a strange contrast against the shirt as he deftly opened his cuffs.

Everyone knew about Snape, Harry was certain of that. There had been rumors of him being a former Death Eater circulating in Hogwarts for years. Of course there had also been rumors about him being a vampire, but that had just been a wild tale with no evidence. There were records about Snape's association with the Dark Lord.

Those in the Ministry had to know exactly what they were about to see, so this was futile. Yet it was probably what Fudge wanted; to cause a rift between his Aurors and Dumbledore. Maybe one of the jumpier Aurors would react to the mark and try to kill Snape. That would certainly destroy everything.

Harry could feel the anger burn even brighter now. It was almost ridiculous how easy Fudge was making this for him. He wanted to do his job, would be glad to follow orders, but their world would be doomed if someone like Cornelius Fudge got to make the rules.

He couldn't step in and stop this. Not only would that look insane, but it would completely humiliate Snape. Harry knew how the man thought, and such an act would never be forgiven, but he couldn't just sit here and watch.

Snape started to inch the sleeve up.

"We all know what we are about to see next." Harry's soft words startled most of the people who turned to stare at him as he stood up. He smiled slightly, refusing to show his anger. At least yet. "Everyone here knows Snape used to be a Death Eater, so we know he is still wearing the Dark Mark." Hoping his words wouldn't make Snape hex him later, he gestured towards his arm.

He had never paid much attention to the Mark, knowing it was a source of pain and regrets for Snape. Curled up in bed with him, he'd skimmed his palms over it, feeling the residual salve covering it and almost tingling against his skin, but had never lingered. It was an unspoken deal between them. He did not make a number of the Mark and Snape didn't trace the scar on his forehead.

It was ugly, the skull with the snake lolling out of its mouth making people shiver with disgust. All those who had encountered Death Eaters or come across the scenes they'd left behind after a raid hated the symbol. It didn't matter whether it was burning on the sky, dancing over the dead bodies, or forever etched on someone's skin.

Standing there without moving a muscle, Snape let the angry and revolted glares wash over him. This humiliation was familiar to him from years past and he didn't let any of his inner turmoil show on his face.

He was surprised no one had actually tried to hex him, especially since it was obvious what all the Aurors were thinking right now.

"Professor Snape used to be a spy for the Order for decades." It wasn't even hard to bend the truth slightly. "He has risked his life on many occasions to keep our people safe, and he has sacrificed more than most of us." Allowing a grin to spread on his lips, Harry cast a look at the young Aurors, people he remembered seeing at school. "We all know he's not a nice guy, but he is one of us."

That gained him some laughter as well as amused snorts. Snape glared at him, but didn't say anything. He simply rolled his sleeve back down again. Before anyone could say anything, Harry yanked up his own sleeve to show everyone that he was indeed not a Death Eater himself.

The gesture made even more people laugh.

Fudge for one was not laughing. He was having hard time keeping the disappointment from showing, and in the end, he didn't completely succeed.

As the laughter died out, the last remaining Order members finished proving their trustworthiness, and then everyone sat down. It was time to start the negotiations.

"Today, we must decide on how our joined organization will best serve the wizarding world," Fudge announced, hurrying to begin his well-practiced speech before Dumbledore could. "Our main objective is of course to destroy..."

"Pardon me, Minister."

Fudge turned to look at Harry who was still standing. "Mr. Potter?" There was honest worry in his voice. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Yes. We did not complete the demonstration. There is still one person here who has not showed us his arm." Harry kept his voice level, his whole body looking relaxed. His hand was clearly ready to grab his wand if needed, though, the posture familiar to all Aurors.

Looking completely baffled, Fudge stammered, "I... I thought we had..." Realizing he was losing his authority in front of everyone, he snapped his mouth shut and took a deep breath before asking, "Who?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You, sir. Don't you think it's necessary to show that we are all indeed on the same level here?" His words clearly reminded everyone of seeing both him and Dumbledore roll up their sleeves.

"I... Of course." Ruddy color was spreading to Fudge's face as he stood up and then fumbled with his robes. He managed to pull up his sleeve after a few moments. There were a few liver spots on his forearm, but no black tattoos.

Looking satisfied at this, Harry finally sat down.

Fudge muttered, "Yes, yes of course it's good to be absolutely certain about everyone." Noticing how his words made most of the people nod, he forced a fatherly smile to his lips. "At least now we don't have to worry about an attack from the inside."

"That's not exactly true."

A soft murmur of dismay echoed in the room as everyone turned to see who had just spoken.

"What did you say?" Fudge tried to pinpoint the young woman who had said the preposterous words out loud, his gaze coming to rest on one of Potter's friends.

Hermione looked up, her expression unreadable. "I said; that's not true. Terry Boot didn't have a tattoo on his arm when he tried to kill me and Blaise." It was clear what she meant with that.

It took a moment for Fudge to control his expression, but then the condescending smile replaced hesitation. "And such a horrible betrayal it was!"

Muttering agreements, most people seemed not to notice that he hadn't exactly replied to Hermione's words but simply offered a meaningless phrase.

Harry had never been interested in politics, but he could see when someone was playing a crowd. He didn't think Fudge was doing a good job of it, and so it was surprising to find out that the pompous declarations and fancy words actually seemed to fool so many people.

"Our future fight will be hard, for we'll be facing the most dangerous enemy; a Dark Lord with minions from some very influential families," Fudge said as if that was a revelation. To him it probably was. "And by his side stand the most horrendous creatures of all; the Dementors!"

Harry wondered why was Fudge saying this. Could it be that there were still people here who didn't know about this already? It didn't look like that; there were no gasps of surprises or horror on anyone's face.

It was irritating; the way Fudge kept listing the enemy, saying things they had known for weeks, maybe months. Ambition didn't make Harry territorial, the need to steer clear of such blind stupidity did.

He didn't want to lead, but he would never follow Fudge; his willful blindness and arrogant belief in a world that had probably never existed would simply lead them all to death.

Usually when someone made a speech in a meeting, Harry let them drone and allowed his mind to wander. He already knew these things. But he couldn't simply ignore the ridiculous phrases and declarations coming from Fudge. There was a plan behind all this, and no matter what happened next, he'd have to work together with the Minister in the near future.

"No more hiding, no more secrets."

The words coming from Fudge almost made Harry laugh hysterically. With some effort, he managed to swallow the chuckles.

"The time for talking is coming to an end." Fudge straightened his back. "Our world needs something it hasn't needed in over a decade. We need a strategy, we need a war plan, and we need a general to lead us."

Excitement showing clearly on their face, most of the Aurors leaned forward, anxious to nod at the Minister's words. They had heard this before and everyone agreed that while Dumbledore was a good Headmaster and a teacher, they needed more than an old man to win this war.

"This is not the time for discussions or egos. It's the time for action! For the good of our people everywhere, we need to unite as one force, Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix fighting together as one." Hand held high, Fudge looked at the eager faces focused at him and smiled.

Harry had to agree with him, even though the pomp and very poorly hidden self-promotion did make him sick. "Yeah." He nodded slightly.

"I couldn't agree more, Cornelius. We can not fight this war as two armies, we need to stand as one, with one leader and one purpose; defeating Voldemort for good." Dumbledore paused for a moment to see if Fudge would say something. When he didn't, he added, "It is indeed time for decisions."

That seemed to be what Fudge had waited for. "So what do you propose, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "I can't propose anything. Since last night, I have resigned my place as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. There is nothing more I can do, except to offer advice. You must negotiate with our new leader."

There was utter silence as everyone stared at the man. Only three people in the room had known what would happen; all the others were now in shock, especially the members of the Order. Dumbledore had led them since the beginning. They'd been reluctant to even think about cooperating with the Ministry, knowing Fudge would do anything he could to take over power, but for Dumbledore to hand over control like this? It was inconceivable.

A terrible suspicion was creeping over Remus Lupin. He knew there was only one person among them who could take over the Order. One person who would succeed in what Albus would have failed, one leader whom they would all follow, both the Order and the Aurors.

He turned to look at the head of the table, his eyes widening in shock as he saw Harry's expression. It almost seemed as if he had grown up overnight. Until now, he had been James' son, the child they all had loved and cherished. Now he was something quite different.

Remus' heart ached for him.

"Who?" It felt to Fudge as if he was repeating himself. "Where?"

Eyes twinkling, Dumbledore turned to nod at Harry. "I believe you two have met already. Cornelius, our new leader is sitting right here. Harry Potter."

---

A/N: That's it for book 4. Book 5 (which will be the final book) is still very much a WIP, so it may take a while until I'll start posting that. Fear not, this story will be finished, but I can't promise a certain date I'll start posting.

Comments

[wolfsbride.livejournal.com]

MEEP! 32/32!!! *leaves the country*

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:P Have finished parts 1 and 2 of book 5. Will send them to you when I've polished them a few more times, so hurry up and run to the hills!

Also, have you even read through the Dance fic yet? I need it in two weeks! It's a Yuletide pressie for FL!

*watches you run screaming*

[wolfsbride.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. There's no one here at the moment.

[cats-elfin.livejournal.com]

Though this story was fascinating from the beginning it got even better with each single chapter!

Can't wait for book 5! *Wailing*

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

Well, to be quite honest, this was supposed to be an indulgence ficlet with Harry about to lose his mind. Whatever happened next is a mystery, because one day I realized that the fic had a life of its own and was totally out of control... :D

Waiting is good for the soul and patience is a virtue...

[lyr]

I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed this very much, and I'm really looking forward to book 5. The slow build of plot and complex relationships have been quite satisfying.

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

You know, I was right when I chose to start posting; fb does actually force me to finish the damn thing. :D

It's been fun building the plot and the relationships. Hopefully I won't botch the whole thing in the end...

Delay?

[(Anonymous)]

:(

Re: Delay?

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorry. :D

[drowsyfirefly.livejournal.com]

Blaaaaaarg. I am upset. I'm excited for book five though. It's hard to believe this is almost (sort of) over.

Can't wait for more, as always.

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

*laughter*

It's not over yet.... And yeah, should go back to writing. Like right now.

[sockich.livejournal.com]

I've spent most of this past couple of days reading this. I've been reading for about ten hours straight today, so I apologize for the utterly incoherent feedback but I'm really rather exhausted. And, you know, busy flailing over how much I love this.

I love every single thing about this universe, I love Snape and Harry and their relationship, I love Draco and Ron and Hermione and Sirius and Remus and pretty much any and all characters. You make them sound real and I...gah, I just adore it.

And I really, really, really love the slow build-up in the Harry/Snape relationship (I hate stories where they start shagging and professing love to one another withing the first five paragraphs) and the fact that they are both still very much themselves even after they do get together.

So yeah, much love. ♥

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:O You've been reading this fic for hours. Whoa, I don't even try to do that myself anymore, and I know what'll happen...

I'm glad you like the characters; my pet peeve's always the way some fics seem to concentrate on the main characters and just ignore the fact that they're not alone in the world.

Thank you! I like slow too (just not too slow) and with characters like Snape and Harry -- especially Snape -- you can't be really convincing if you write them sprouting poetry at their Harry-love in two first pages or so.

Yay! Love is always appreciated!

phew!

[geek6.livejournal.com]

i've spent the best part of this weekend reading my way through this story.. i seriously think i may need new glasses now!..lol

this is a fabulous story.. and i've really enjoyed the development of the Snape/Harry relationship.. especially the way Snape tried to convince himself (in a very logical fashion of course) that it meant nothing to him really..and yet without him realising it's crept up on him big time..

and Ron.. well.. i have wanted to hit him/hug him.. and just about everything inbetween..there are times when he is just *such* a dingbat..lol

thank you..

and i won't say hurry up with the next book.. i shall just wait patiently and be totally delighted when you post it..*grin*

Re: phew!

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:D I need to put a new disclaimer on the fic... 'The author isn't responsible for the loss of eyesight and/or braincells' or somtething.

It's been great to write about Snape, because he's a lot like a hedgehog, curling into a ball whenever *anything* threatening appears, including all those pesky emotions. I like the fact that he has so much history and won't just go with the flow but fights against the changes even if they will benefit him.

Ron! He's such a dork!

Well they say patience is a virtue. :D Still working on the final book, but am confident it'll be finished sooner than later.

[i-am-sevvy.livejournal.com]

Wow... I've just spent the enitre weekend reading this fic... so good that I just couldn't stop... can't wait to see where this will end.. so many twists it can take ...

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:D That must have been one long weekend... And yeah, it's been a weird ride, the fic going to places I'd never even imagined it might go.