Don't own this. JK Rowling does.

Death doesn't usually try to catch people and bring them anywhere. Most of the times, he just watches people come and go from here, watches the stories of their lives play out as they leave the world they knew to go on to the next one. He, on the other hand, is neither here nor there. He's merely the observer standing in between.

Sirius had a half-grin plastered onto his face as his hex blasted Lucius Malfoy off the edge of the stone platform. Glancing behind him, he flicked a shield charm towards Harry and another spell at the masked Death Eater dueling with his godson.

He can't help but feel a little exhilarated by this- loud flashes and movement and action. He knows he really shouldn't be so happy about a Death Eater attack, no less one in the Ministry, but months of practically-imprisonment in one's own house does that to someone. Really, he's just excited that he's finally doing something, and especially, something for Harry. Despite the boyish part in him, there's a much more significant desire to just help Harry, be there for him- hell, he would have done about anything for that boy, if he'd ever been given the chance to.

Then, the exhilaration all but vanished as Bellatrix came into view- he can feel his body suddenly saturated with resentment and anger- this woman, who actually shares half his blood and genes, was here to take away the closest thing he's had to a family. This thought, the irony of it, made him suddenly very want to laugh. So he did.

The next moment all was gone.

*-.-*-.-*

Sirius finds himself standing in a large empty hall, bright white light streaming from the roof and the great arched windows. It's not unlike the Great Hall, he thinks, just that everything's white. And just as the thought forms, four long tables materialize in front of him, intricate patterns carve themselves into the plaster edges.

Then, his heart leaps a bit as he remembered that the head table must be right behind him, maybe he could finally have the chance to stand on it? He'll just turn around and see-

"...Prongs?"

There was no head table, but there stands James, silent tears streaming down his face. Lily stands behind him, blinking rapidly and barely holding in her own tears.

Why are they crying?

Before he knows it, James had crossed the distance and wrapped him in the tightest hug, and memories of his last moments rushed back: a dark Ministry hall, bright spells blasted at black stones, there was Harry, and an archway with a veil.

Lily comes to hug him too. "You're here way too early, Sirius," she murmurs, her red locks ghosting across his cheeks.

"Lily? Oh Lily-" his brain seems to finally catch up to what's happening, "Lily are you alright?"

"Oh we're fine, it's just... we weren't expecting you for quite a while longer"

"You could tell? How long it's been?" Sirius thinks he could feel that a clock of some sort has stopped for him, and neither Lily or James look a day older than they did that night sixteen years ago.

"Ah well, not really," said James, who was now wiping at his eyes, looking slightly embarrassed, "but you look older don't you? It'd be much more amusing if you were old and grey while we here are eternally young, don't you think?"

"Brat," and they are both grinning.

*-.-*

Suddenly, Sirius sighs, "there's just this one thing. I just hoped Harry could ever have a decent dad. Now he's only got Snivellus!"

"Well, and Moony."

Sirius huffs, "Moony can't be a dad for the life of him!"

"Oh yes he will, just you wait and see."

"I was thinking more along the lines of Moony being the mum."

"Alright you two," Lily sighs, "but I can imagine Dumbledore saying something like going without parental figures makes Harry stronger..."

"What?" James sounds appalled, "not even Dumbledore is that cruel!"

"Well it's true that he never tried to get me out of Azkaban."

"You think... he knew?"

Sirius barked a laugh, "maybe, for how much that crackpot always knows, but even if he didn't, he knew me."

The three of them are silent for a while.

"We're sorry," Lily says finally, "for the twelve years."

Sirius smiles and shakes his head, "it's alright. I think I've let that go." It's not until he said it that he realised it was true. His arrival here, his passage through the veil seems to have melted away the hatred, resentment, frustration; at Bellatrix, at Dumbledore, at anyone and anything.

Lily beams back, "then let Harry go too."

Sirius frowns.

"You've got to. He'll turn out fine."

"I don't know how you did it."

"We never leave, you see. We let him go, but we never leave him."

Those who love us never really leaves us.

Sirius nods, comprehending, "no, we really don't."

*-.-*

"So, where exactly am I."

"Dunno, I should be asking you, it's your party isn't it?"

"My wha-" Sirius paused, and decided to drop it. Maybe everyone becomes as cryptic as Dumbledore after they're dead, "looks like the Great Hall, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," James grinned, "I remember you getting sorted into Gryffindor."

"That was worth a party."

James simply laughs as they are both reminded of their Hogwarts days.

"Oh, where did Lily go?" Sirius suddenly noticed.

"Dunno, maybe she thought we're starting to act like idiots again, maybe her job here is done."

"Where does she go then?" Sirius paused, "Where do I go?"

"Well," James claps a hand on his shoulder solemnly, "they say you go on."

"...okay."

"I'm sure I saw moving staircases somewhere around here"

"Sure," Sirius shrugs, "let's go then."

This is a strange thing I'm doing so pls pls pls review and tell me what you think?

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