Fic: No Hiding Place book Five: High in the Sky (1/28)

[sua_lay]

Here it is, the fifth and final book of No Hiding Place. Do read the warnings again and enjoy!

Title: No Hiding Place: Book Five: High In The Sky (1/28)
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 - May 2007
Disclaimers: Not mine, borrowed without permission, am not making any money. Please don't sue. Sherbet Lemon?
Summary for Book Five: - It's time to try to save the world. Fools and idiots may be the wizards' only hope. Revenge does indeed taste strange. Kinda furry.
Warning: This part contains deaths, gore, total stupidity, explicit sex between men, disturbing themes and angst.

The earlier parts of the fic can be found here.

BOOK FIVE
High in the Sky

Part 1

Harry yanked on his sleeves a little nervously; a habit he hadn't got over yet even though the sleeves weren't too short anymore. He had to concentrate against fidgeting; it would just make more people stare.

And so many still were, even though all the big revelations were now out in the open, the speeches over and everyone ready to leave whenever they felt like it.

Seemed like no one wanted to leave the Order headquarters yet. There were too many things to ogle at. Some people were whispering quietly while casting furtive glances at Dumbledore, who was chatting merrily with Minerva McGonagall, turning to look at Harry every once in a while. Most, however, were staring at the man standing next to Remus Lupin who didn't seem to be too pleased to be in the middle of the crowd but stood there nevertheless.

Harry had to smile. His first action as their new leader had been to ask Fudge to sign a pardon for Sirius, and no matter how it had made his stomach turn to see the Minister sign without a word, he was still glad he had this power.

His godfather deserved this; deserved to stand here openly. They all did.

It had also felt so good to be able to do this one simple thing, as if all the heavy decisions and commands that would come might somehow be easier when his first action had been to pardon, not condemn.

There had been curt explanations about Sirius' innocence, Harry once again repeating the story of betrayal. No one had questioned him.

That was probably something he would have to get used to.

"Mr. Potter."

A sarcastic smile flickered on Harry's lips for just a moment and was gone by the time he looked at Minister Fudge. "Minister." He was still not going to play this game with Fudge.

Staring at the astonishingly large crowd, Fudge sighed, the sound of utter defeat. He said quietly, "Your people are surprisingly loyal to you, Mr. Potter." It was exactly as he had feared all along.

Harry shrugged. "They all fight for the common cause." He had to believe that they would still be together even if he was gone. Otherwise the responsibility would paralyze him.

"Oh come now! No need for such false modesty." Fudge could so easily see what this was really all about. What had earlier been two groups of people -- his Aurors and Dumbledore's Order -- were suddenly a united force, Harry Potter's own army. "You know as well as I do that every person in this room would die for you."

Probably without any hesitations too. Some Aurors would die for their Minister no matter what the situation, and most of them would die protecting him, but he knew that he didn't command such loyalty as this young man did. His authority went beyond the Ministry's simply because to the people, he was not an elected leader but a living legend.

Harry could do nothing but nod at that, because he knew it was true. "Yes." To him, the mere thought was nauseating.

He didn't want anyone to die for him, didn't want to be the one to send people towards their deaths. These days, he wished there had been some kind of a prophecy or a charm to bind him and Voldemort in life and death so that no one else would have to die.

It was no surprise to Fudge that Harry would admit it so easily. He'd seen the way the boy had sneakily moved towards the power and the quiet reluctance he tried to project to most of his troops did not fool him for a moment. "So what happens next?"

He didn't believe for a moment that Harry didn't have a plan. The boy and Dumbledore had so clearly plotted this for ages, and he wanted to hear all about it.

Harry was glad he'd changed the subject, not wishing to think about death right at the moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. "We need to deal with the various operations Voldemort has launched already. There are dark creatures being smuggled into the country and people gathering in Voldemort's strongholds and ancient manors, getting ready to fight us. There's the thing with the Dementors. We also need to train our people more. I'm certain the Aurors are more than capable, but we need to make sure everyone can fight and work together as a group."

"Ah, yes." Cataloguing all the possibilities, Fudge focused on the one matter that would really make no difference to him and his position in this new reign. "Training. I have heard about your strategy, and I must say I don't exactly approve."

"You don't approve of training people?" Cursing his own stupidity, Harry tried not to fluster as soon as the words left him. "Or just the curses we are dealing with?"

Fudge shook his head. "The Unforgivables can only be used under strict supervision." It had been possible to avoid this issue until now. But not anymore.

Behind him, Arthur Weasley blinked. He'd been lost in thought before his boss' voice had penetrated his mind.

He could remember squeezing his wand as the masked men had closed in on his home, coming to destroy the only thing that really mattered to him; his family. Professionalism had stilled his instincts, driving him to defend his whole world with simple curses only, but that had been nowhere nearly enough. Seeing the green sparks fly towards his son had changed his life forever. Mind on fire with agony, he'd flung the curse back at the Death Eaters, not caring if they didn't survive their fall.

"I agree." Harry nodded. "That's why we need to supervise our troops while they practice."

It wasn't even said with sarcasm. As far as games for power went, he wasn't going to play anymore. The way their joined forces had cheered him showed quite clearly how this war would be won, and it wasn't under Fudge's command.

He didn't care who got the honor and the glory -- and the blame -- as long as they got rid of Voldemort and his people. If the world remembered Fudge as the heroic Minister during whose era the Dark Lord was defeated, Harry would be perfectly happy.

As long as they actually defeated Voldemort.

Fudge pursed his lips together, but refused to say anything. He wasn't going to start arguing with Harry Potter in front of everyone barely an hour after he'd lost everything.

When it became obvious Fudge wasn't going to comment, Harry sighed. "We also need to concentrate on the people Voldemort relies on." He didn't want to have to say the names again, knowing everyone already knew of whom he was talking about.

"Of course, we have to establish negotiations and..."

Harry couldn't let Fudge continue his sentence. "That will not work, Minister." He couldn't help thinking his words were shattering the last remnants of the walls this man had built between his ideals and the harsh reality.

There was no one to talk to, no one who could stop this. He knew that Fudge had to be thinking about Lucius Malfoy right now and knew that whatever faith the Minister placed on that bastard was unfounded.

"We can not burn the bridges behind us," said Fudge, looking desperate. "Maybe we can avoid an open war. There are reasonable people on both sides."

Harry wished he could believe negotiations would help and that their combined force would be big enough to scare some sense into the most sane of the Death Eaters, but he'd seen too much to believe in their sanity anymore. "I don't believe we can make deals with Voldemort or his people."

"But..." Fudge hesitated. "There are those we have dealt with before. People and... People we've negotiated with before. We don't have to make any definite plans, but we can't be blinded by hostilities either."

It was too hard to hear the desperate hope in the Minister's voice. Nodding, Harry muttered, "All right. Since you are better qualified to deal with such negotiations than anyone here, it would be great if you..."

"Yes, of course." Grasping the hesitant words as they were his last chance to regain some kind of dignity here, Fudge smiled. "That's an excellent idea."

To his shock, Harry Potter added quietly, "But I want you only to open talks with the people you see necessary. Don't make any deals with anyone."

Fudge stood still for a moment, before nodding. "Of course." With a forced smile and a nod, he turned around and walked away.

Tugging his sleeves again, Harry watched him go, wondering what everyone would say if he ran to the nearest loo and threw up. He certainly felt nauseous. But at the same time there was a strange calm over him, the knowledge that this was the way things would be from now on and no matter what he might wish for, his life wasn't going to be quiet again for a very long time.

Hopefully Fudge would come out of his daydreams soon. Until then, he was free to talk to anyone he wanted. Maybe the empty conversations with the enemy would finally force him to open his eyes.

Harry smiled at that, realizing the futile Gryffindor optimism when he saw it.

"What's so funny?"

He turned to look at Ron, the smile still hovering on his lips. "You know... I think there's probably nothing that isn't funny right now." Hysterical even.

The look Ron cast at him spoke volumes.

After a few deep breaths, Harry managed to suppress the insane laughter that tried to bubble out. He didn't really feel like laughing, the situation so far from amusing it almost made him want to weep instead. People would be shocked to hear his thoughts, everyone casting furtive looks at their new leader who was standing there, looking calm and holding steady, just like a proper hero should.

Raising an eyebrow, Ron said, "Some change, eh?" He was still boggled by the reverence people showed to Harry.

"Yeah." It was clear from Harry's sigh that he wasn't exactly happy about the whole thing. "Some change."

Ron didn't like the way Harry looked; as if he was waiting him to say something nasty. It had taken him weeks to get over the whole Triwizard thing and when McGonagall had gone missing, he'd taken out his anxiety on Harry. Not because he was a stupid git, but because it was really hard to understand things when you were kept in the dark.

"You know, it would make things a lot easier if you just told me stuff. I really like to be told, you know." He managed a smile without real effort.

Harry nodded. "I know, Ron. Sorry about that."

"And just so you know... Dad's told me a lot about the Ministry and I know that leading people is hard work. No eternal glory there. I think... I think anyone who'd actually want that job has to be barking mad."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence."

They both grinned at each other, happy that they had managed to deal with it so easily.

"So, what happens now?" Ron bounced on the balls of his feet, ready for some action. "We have an army. Are we going to use it?"

Harry nodded, his expression turning grave. "Yeah. But not yet. We can't battle Voldemort's forces on their turf."

That made sense. Sort of. "Okay. So we finally have the Aurors here and we have you as a leader. Good, everything's brilliant." Even as he said it, Ron knew it was a mistake. Almost like saying things couldn't get any worse.

This time, 'worse' was Snape walking past them, casting a dark glare at Harry before disappearing into one of the smaller rooms.

"I'd better..." Cringing at the mere thought of dealing with Snape right now, Harry gestured at the door.

"Yeah."

Not looking back at Ron, knowing there wouldn't be an encouraging smile on his face, Harry followed Snape, making sure he locked the door behind him before turning to face the man.

It did not look good. Snape was pacing back and forth, his back ramrod straight, hands hidden inside his sleeves. His every fiber screamed the need to be left alone, but Harry knew that wouldn't work. Not with Snape.

Harry knew he had some quick talking to do if he wanted to avoid a fight. Or a freezing silence that would go on forever. "I'm sorry."

Stopping his pacing, Snape turned around and glared. "For what? What would you possibly be sorry for?" He sounded like he had a few suggestions.

"I didn't intend to..." The word 'humiliate' refused to come out. Harry shrugged. "Insult you or anything by talking about the Mark."

He wished Snape would believe him and stop glaring. It was the truth; he never wanted to publicly insult or humiliate Snape. Making comments about his past had been necessary, but he knew Snape wouldn't simply let it go.

Snape snorted. "Your words probably saved my life there." It was said through clenched teeth, and was definitely not meant as a thank you.

"I'm... not sorry for that. For the saving your life part. But the rest of it..." In all honesty, Harry couldn't really say he was sorry for speaking up for Snape either. An old memory from Dumbledore's Pensieve flickered through his mind, and he wondered if anyone had ever said those words so that Snape actually heard them. "Fudge was trying to stir up trouble and I just said the truth."

That seemed to please Snape. "I see." The anger melted away from his stance a bit.

"But I'm still sorry."

Snape stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "Apology accepted." He cast a look at the door. "And no, that was not an encouragement for anything."

"Got it." This was definitely not the time nor the place, Harry agreed. "So, what do you think of Fudge then? He seems okay with the new order, but I can't help wondering..."

"Yes?"

Harry was quiet for a moment, trying to put his gut feeling into words. "He seems to think we can avoid war, even with everything that's happened already. He talks about politics and negotiations... I don't know. I bet he's going to try to talk Voldemort and his people out of the whole thing."

"I see." It wasn't difficult to read beyond Harry's words. "I can guess exactly who he intends to contact first."

"Yeah, so can I."

Smiling sarcastically, Snape said, "If Fudge thinks that Lucius will listen to reason, especially now that their side is stronger than ever, he really is insane."

It was something Harry had to agree with. "I know. He's a bit..." He couldn't find a proper word, but by the nod his words received he knew that Snape knew exactly what he meant. "I just never thought he'd be this desperate."

He had never held much respect towards Fudge. Ever since seeing him for the first time in Hagrid's hut, when he'd come to take Hagrid away, Harry had seen the Minister as someone that couldn't be trusted. Nothing he'd seen later on had made him change his opinion.

"Seems to me he's still trying to find out a way to win this war, without using the Order." Snape could read the nervous Minister like a first year Potions textbook. "He probably thinks his only way to regain some kind of control over our world is to deal with Voldemort's people himself."

Harry nodded. "I know."

"Especially when he has to face the fact that if we win the war, people will probably want to see someone else as the Minister for Magic." There was definitely genuine amusement on Snape's face now as he nodded slightly.

It was not shared by Harry. Feeling nauseous, he shook his head firmly. "Don't even joke about that. Minister for Magic? Me? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of." A prison worse any he'd ever imagined.

Snape had known he'd say that. For a long time he'd wondered if the weird refusal to accept all the praise was just a show, or something taught by Dumbledore. Now he knew it was neither. "I never joke, Potter."

"I know." Harry really didn't want to talk about this right now. Even though he agreed this wasn't really the proper place, he stepped closer to Snape and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "That's because you're not a nice guy."

This time his words only made Snape cast a knowing look at him, as if it was now accepted as a part of the things they shared and not as something bordering on insult.

Harry let his touch linger for a brief moment before muttering quietly, "And neither am I."

---

Comments

[hambares.livejournal.com]

Eep! I see you have completed this book before I even had a chance to start reading it! I better find some time and start on this one! I can't WAIT!!!!!

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:D Better this way, I think. No annoying cliffhangers or waiting.

Hope you'll like it!

[chrisvel.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm without internet for a few days, come back and you have the whole story posted ... I'm so excited about it.
Now I need some time to read everything! Loved the first 4 books and have been looking forward to reading the last one since you finished book 4.

[sua-lay.livejournal.com]

:D Well at least this way you didn't have to wait for the chapters, so yay!

Hope it's as good as the previous books.