Everything was white.

That was what struck Sirius as odd. Moments ago, he had fallen through a grey, misty veil, and now everything was white.

Oh Merlin, the memories.

Countless memories came flooding back, all the time he had spent with Harry, all the fun they had shared, right up until the department of mysteries. He remembered saying "nice one James!" to Harry. How could he have gotten them mixed up? After that, everything was fuzzy. He'd have to apologise to Harry for that little mistake.

Wait.

Dead.

How was he dead?

No, no, no, no, no.

He couldn't have left Harry, could he?

"Oh Harry" he sighed. "I'm so sorry, I love you kiddo, be strong".

The scene shifted, and everything dissolved, until he was standing opposite a house which had been his favourite place in the entire world for many years.

This was it.

Home.

Tears filled his eyes, and he let them flow freely. He knew where he was. Where else would he have ended up?

He advanced slowly, taking care to savour the moment. There was a fresh breeze in the air, and children ran past, laughing delightedly. The smell of autumn leaves filled his senses, and a warm, golden light bathed everything in sight, giving off wonderful warmth. This was his favourite kind of weather; it heightened his senses and made him feel ever so alive.

The rusty gate swung backwards at his touch, allowing his passage up the soft gravel. He could barely breathe as he approached the old oak door with its bronze knocker. Summoning all his courage, he lifted the knocker and allowed it to rap the door in that oh so familiar way.

Before he could blink, the door opened to reveal a young woman whose auburn hair shined dazzlingly in the light. Her warm smile left Sirius's heart full to bursting with happiness at seeing one of his best friends again. She stepped back to allow him in. Not a word needed to be said as he stepped onto the warm mat, its softness tickling his toes and reminding him of a thousand different visits during his teenage years.

A wonderful smell filled his nostrils, and as he wandered down the hall into the open kitchen doorway, a sight lay in front of him so wonderful it over powered his emotions and tore at his heart, filling him beyond his wildest feelings of happiness.

In the kitchen, the soft golden rays of sunlight penetrated the windows and shined on the creamy peach and honey walls. Mrs Potter bustled about, wearing an apron and pausing in what she was doing to give Sirius a beaming, motherly smile, filled with affection and love. Mr Potter was sat on a rocking chair by the open door to the garden, quietly reading his newspaper with such a smile on his face the whole world could have shined because of him.

But best of all, sat at the kitchen table, tears streaming down his face and smiling with such happiness he thought his heart could take no more, was James. Sirius stood frozen, time having slowed to a standstill. The world could have stopped spinning on its axes, for in that moment, Sirius had been reunited with his best friend, his partner in crime; his brother.

Neither moved, but their facial expressions were absolute; they were beyond words. Slowly, as if wondering whether this were a dream, James rose from his seat, and stepped around the table.

"Padfoot" he whispered, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

Sirius walked slowly forwards. He had forgotten when it was that he had stopped breathing again but he did not care. This was the most incredible feeling he had ever experienced.

Seconds later, in the blink of an eye Sirius had vanished; in his place was a black shaggy dog which wagged its tail delightedly and lolled its tongue lopsidedly. It took one look at James before it pounced on him, knocking him back on the kitchen table and covering him in paws and licks as over-joyed barks filled the room.

James, Lily, Mr and Mrs Potter laughed ecstatically, tears filling their eyes in pure delight as they watched a member of the family reunite with his brother. In that moment, nothing could have been more precious.

He was well and truly home.

Sirius would worry about Harry later. He had a lot of catching up to do.

All was well.