Disclaimer: Didn't own Harry Potter yesterday, don't own it today, won't own it tomorrow.
A/N: So I got this idea from watching that movie "All Dogs Go to Heaven". I love that scene where Charlie is met with his new fate, death, and quickly decides it's not for him, lol.
Departure
I had no idea where the bloody hell I was. One minute I had been gallantly fighting my sordid cow of a cousin, Bellatrix, and the next I was staring around in confusion at what appeared to be some version of… the sky? I was standing on a solid floor of what looked like ivory and there were clouds on either side of me, beige and tan in color. Nothing more from what I could see.
"What in Merlin's dirty trousers?" I muttered, gazing around suspiciously. What was going on? What had happened to me?
"Ah, there you are!" a female voice suddenly rang out. I whipped my head around vigilantly and saw a smiling woman rushing towards me, holding a very large book.
She did not look like a threat and was in fact very pretty. Her hair was dark brown, thick and long, and she had brown eyes that looked cheerful; she wore a simple, long, white dress that covered her feet.
"You arrived a bit early but no matter!" the woman spoke again, reaching me and continuing to smile. My eyebrows were raised so high it was a wonder they hadn't left my face.
"Early?" I repeated stupidly. Oh, so that was the first thing my brain produced to ask her? Not who she was or where the eff I was!
"Yes."
She unfolded her titan of a book and a white podium immediately emerged out of thin air to support the tome as it was laid down. I jumped in surprise, I have to admit. So she was a witch! But what kind of magic had that been?
"Sirius Black…" she mumbled, leafing through pages. I narrowed my eyes mistrustfully and sought my wand. A Legilimens!
"All right—who are you?" I questioned critically. The mystery woman peered at me with a surprised expression.
"Oh, excuse me! I have always been awful with that!," she told me, "I'm Dawn."
"What have you done with my wand, Dawn?" For I could not find it on my person and I had just used it to fight my psychotic relative!
"You don't need it anymore; no one ever does," she alerted softly.
What did she mean I didn't need it? Of course I did! I was a wizard! I was now angry.
"Where am I?" I demanded through clenched teeth.
"Well… it doesn't have one set name, and it's different things to different people." Dawn said, looking around. I stared at her blankly.
"What the hell does that mean?" I asked after brief silence. She gave a small smile and went back to the book.
"Ah, here you are!," Dawn commenced after only a moment, "Sirius Orion Black. I like your middle name."
I bombarded the podium and saw my full name written elegantly in cursive about a picture of me as a toddler. There was a lot of text written on the two pages that were showing. Had this woman somehow snuck into Grimmauld Place and stolen this picture from my possessions?
"What's with the book?" I wondered, looking at her oddly. But Dawn ignored me and was now writing on the second page.
"Arrived: December 1959. Departed… June 1996," she uttered. I furrowed my brow.
"Departed. What do you mean 'departed'?"
"As in left, gone away. Deceased, dead…"
I was staring again, but this time like a buffoon.
"Come again?" I mentioned politely, hand on the podium.
"Which part?" Dawn pondered.
"Did you say 'dead'?"
"Oh. Yes."
"Who's dead?" I questioned.
"Well, you are!" she noted cheerfully.
Again with the staring, but now it was more like gawking. This woman had just told me I was dead, that I, Sirius Padfoot Black, was dead! She was obviously barmy beyond all reason, but when I continued to gawk and she simply smiled at me, I exploded with emotion.
"I'm WHAT!" I bellowed, causing her to jump.
"Oh my!" Dawn remarked, a hand on her chest.
"What in Godric Gryffindor do you mean I'm dead? I CAN'T be!"
"It's—it's why you're here!"
"No! There's been a mistake! That's impossible!" I insisted hotly.
"Sirius, everyone dies! You're early, like I said, but it's not a mistake…" she tried to soothe.
"You're damn right I'm early—try decades! I can't have snuffed it! I'm only in my 30s! I've only been out of that hell hole Azkaban for 3 years! I've only been living as a human for one year! I was finally seeing action!"
"Sirius—"
"And if you tell me that Bellatrix did this to me, I'll vomit. I'll vomit and then lose my mind, and you'll have to watch!," I continued to rant, now pacing agitatedly, "No—I won't go for it! Nope. Sorry! I… I still have to get back at that bleeding traitor Pettigrew! I have to clear my name! And Remus—Remus! We've only rebuilt our friendship; I can't leave him!"
I suddenly ceased walking because thinking about Moony led me to think about someone else, and it pierced my very soul.
"Harry…. I have a godson," I told her beseechingly, gazing at her, "Please."
Dawn looked back at me sadly.
"I know… I'm truly sorry," she near whispered. I looked away from her and felt like I had just deflated. Dead?...
"It's never easy, for many." Dawn assured softly.
"And you're sure about my… death?" I posited wearily.
"For once, I wish I weren't."
There was prolonged silence as I stared at the ivory floor. Well, talk about unfortunate…. A part of me felt like exploding again, a part of me felt like wailing in despair, a part of me felt hollow, and, strangely, a part of me felt peace. I didn't know what to say next so this came out of my mouth:
"This isn't fair."
Mature, I know. My knack for maturity was strong enough to rival that of a four year old. (Moony always used to tell me this).
"Try having my job." Dawn joked, offering a small smile. I finally peered at her, smiling brokenly in spite of myself.
"You're not prone to coercion, are you? Maybe consider writing 'miraculously returned' after that 'departed'?" I wondered, stuffing my hands in my pockets.
"What's done is done, I'm afraid," she said, smile growing.
"Apparently you've never had a Time Turner."
Apparently Death figured me a comedian, or maybe that was just my way of keeping myself from carrying out the earlier threat of actually spewing my guts out. I sighed deeply.
"I didn't get to say goodbye, to Harry," I admitted in a low voice, "Having to leave him…"
"You may no longer be with him in the physical sense but that does not mean you must leave him. Not even while here." Dawn answered. I looked at her hopefully as she closed her book; the podium disappeared and the tome was in her arms once more.
"That was a concern of theirs, too. She was most adamant about it," she relayed.
"Theirs?," I inquired, "Who is they?"
"The ones waiting for you."
My brows collapsed in bewilderment again. Whom was Dawn referring to? People I knew? The woman was too vague for her own good, really.
"Someone… someone is waiting for me?" I asked.
"Some individuals, actually, but yes," Dawn replied, grinning lightly, "He is terribly eager to see you, if I'm not mistaken. He's been waiting for the day to see you again."
My heart began to pound painfully in my chest as hope and disbelief filled every fiber of my body.
"What's… w-what's their departure date?" I breathed, though I had no air in my lungs.
"October 1981…"
I closed my eyes as I listened to her answer, a sob threatening to escape my throat as I felt a happiness consume me I had not felt in years.
A/N: There. Short and to the point. Ha.