The last thing Sirius saw before falling through the veil was the stricken look on his godson's face.
The first thing Sirius saw upon landing on the other side of the veil was his mother.
"Fuck! Not you again. Don't tell me I'm stuck with you for eternity." Sirius said, jumping up and backing away slightly. Walburga stayed silent, for the first time in Sirius' memory.
"Come this way! Quickly!" Sirius turned towards the voice behind him. An elderly woman in a very strange matching hat and Muggle dress beckoned him towards her. Intending to deliver a witty insult to his mother, Sirius turned back, only to find that his entire family was slowly advancing on him. Strangely, it wasn't only the dead ones. Bellatrix and Narcissa were there, too, and acting even crazier than usual. Suddenly, the old woman's words sounded like a very good idea.
As Sirius began to run he could hear footsteps behind him, more footsteps than there had been people. Refusing to turn around he ran as fast as he could towards the woman. Too late to stop, he finally noticed the large green… something next to her. It almost looked like a jagged rip made of light, as though someone had torn right through the air in front of him. The momentum he'd built up and the woman's surprisingly powerful shove propelled him through the tear.
"You'd think once per day was enough," Sirius thought as he once again tumbled through nothingness, this time blacking out as soon as he landed.
Sirius woke up chained in a dungeon, with his hand glowing bright green.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake," he muttered. Quickly transforming into Padfoot, he stepped out of his restraints and sniffed around the room. It didn't smell like his cell in Azkaban, in fact it smelt like cheese, but that didn't mean anything. He could be in a different part of the prison. He'd just have to wait and see what happened. Sitting down, he tried to remember what had led him here. He remembered the battle at the Ministry. He remembered Bellatrix hitting him with a spell and he remembered falling. Mostly, he remembered the expression on Harry's face as Remus struggled to hold him back. He hoped with all his heart that Harry had survived the battle.
"A dog?" Sirius whirled around at the voice, cursing himself for getting caught up in his own thoughts. A woman in a chainmail dress stood in the doorway, presumably French based on her accent. That would explain the cheese smell, Sirius thought to himself. The woman was flanked by a man and a woman wearing heavy metal armour. The man held a bunch of keys in one large fist. Not Azkaban then, clearly. Azkaban had no human guards, only Dementors. All these people appeared to be armed with muggle weapons, so perhaps a muggle prison?
"He must be a shapeshifter," the female guard said. Not a French accent this time, Sirius noted, but definitely a European one. He tried to remember where he'd been directly before this cell, but all he could remember was being at the Ministry.
"Are you a mage, Dog?" the armoured woman asked, staring into Sirius' eyes. Sirius just barked and wagged his tail. Hopefully, if he acted canine enough, these strange people would release him and he could figure out what in Merlin's name was going on.
"We know it is you. Your paw is glowing."
"Damn," Sirius thought.
"You have thirty seconds to transform, Dog, before I use my own powers to suppress your magic and force you back to human." The woman didn't look like she was bluffing.
"Templar skills don't hurt animals, do they, Cassandra?" the French woman asked, concern in her eyes, but not deceit. Sirius had no idea what a Templar was or how one could suppress his magic, but it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. As the woman apparently named Cassandra turned on him, he gave a small yelp and transformed back, pulling out his wand as he did so. A split second later his wand was on the other side of the room attached to an arrow. Glancing at his captors he realised that the French one had drawn a bow at a speed so fast he didn't notice it and fired it with enough precision to hit his wand but miss his hand. This woman may not be a wizard, but she was clearly skilled enough that he should be wary of her regardless of her blood status.
Hands up, Sirius grinned cockily.
"Ladies, my name is Sirius Black. I escaped from the highest security magical prison in the world. Do you really think you can hold me?"
"I am Cassandra Pentaghast of the Seekers, and I do not care about your past, only about what happened at the conclave. It is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead." Sirius thought Cassandra sounded like she was struggling not to cry.
"What conclave? Who died?" Sirius asked, hoping that this had nothing to do with Harry. Many things at the Department of Mysteries were unknown to him and it was quite possible this 'conclave' was something in there.
"Do not play dumb with me," Cassandra said angrily. "People are dead; I will not play your games."
"No games," Sirius said. "I have no idea what you are on about."
"Stop lying!" Cassandra spat, stalking forwards once more. Sirius did not wish to rile her up, but for some reason, wrongful imprisonment really pissed him off.
"What are you on about, woman?" Sirius shouted back. What the Hell is a Conclave and exactly why do you think I have anything to do with it?"
The French-sounding woman placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder.
"We must believe him," the woman said. "No-one has been able to place him, and, regardless, we need him."
"You truly were not there?" Cassandra asked, calming down a little. Sirius shook his head. "I had hoped… Never mind." She cut herself off. "The conclave was a meeting of many people, brought together to attempt to end a war. During it, the sky was torn open. Demons poured through the rift, and many people succumbed. The Divine, she is gone," at this, Cassandra's voice wavered, and Sirius assumed that this Divine was someone important to her.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Sirius said, his voice suitably sorrowful. Cassandra nodded in acknowledgement of his sympathy, but clearly was not about to be distracted.
"So, if you were not present at the conclave, how exactly did you end up in the Fade? And how did you acquire this… mark on your hand?"
Sirius shrugged. "I fell through a veil and woke up here. This green thing was here when I woke up. What is it, anyway?"
"We are not entirely sure," Cassandra replied. "We think, however, it may be our solution. Follow me. It will be easiest if I show you." Sirius followed Cassandra through the cell door. Looking around, he could see nothing but devastation. Cassandra gestured upwards, drawing his attention to the green stain in the sky.
"We call it The Breach," Cassandra explained. "It connects our world with the Fade. The realm of spirits," she explained, seeing Sirius' confusion. "Demons, corrupt spirits, are spilling out and attacking innocent people. And, it is expanding. It looks as though it will continue to grow until it consumes the entire world."
Suddenly, pain coursed through Sirius' hand, causing him to drop to the floor in agony.
"Every time The Breach expands, your mark does too. We suspect they are linked in some way. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time. We have an expert; he is further along the way and I am sure he will be willing to explain to you what he knows." She looked into Sirius' eyes, seemingly gauging his ability to continue. Once she was satisfied she pulled Sirius to his feet with surprising strength. Clearly, Sirius thought, she has some serious muscles hidden under all that metal.
"If I can help, I will," Sirius said. He didn't know where he was, who any of these people were or what had happened to all the people he cared about, but he would not let these people die if it was within his power to prevent it.
Cassandra nodded and began to march him through the makeshift village of tents and other temporary shelters. People glared at him as they passed, some shouting insults, others merely muttering under their breath, but none looked happy.
"They have decided your guilt," Cassandra informed him.
"I'm used to it," Sirius replied.
"They mourn the passing of the Most Holy, Divine Justinia. The conclave was hers. She sought to end the fighting between the mages - magic users - and the templars, the knights who guard the mages. She thought she could bring about peace, but instead…" She sighed and did not finish her sentence.
"There will be a trial. That much I can promise you."
"Well, that'll be a first," Sirius muttered, but he was grateful for her assurance. In this strange place he did not know where he stood, and the woman's frankness was a relief.
"Come, we must test your mark on something smaller than The Breach. There is a smaller rift up ahead, we will try it on that."
With no better plan, Sirius followed her.