Hey everyone!

I know that you were probably hoping this would be an update of my crossover story Old Truths New Beginnings, but it isn't. I wanted to take on something a little different whilst I organized the new chapter for that story.

This is the first challenge I've ever done on this site, and it sounded really interesting to me. I'd like to thank LookAPuppyMadeYouLOOK for the idea of this storyline and hope that it turns out just as good as it potentially sounded when I came across it myself.

This will be the second fic I've written with the fifth year battle scene in it, but that's the only resemblance this story will have (page 708-710 OOTP, if you're wondering). I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes, so enjoy…

edit: For some strange reason, when I uploaded my chapter, it kept deleting Look's username - sorry about that.

…..

To Vanish

"Harry, take Neville, grab the prophecy and run!" Sirius yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix.

Harry did not see what happened next. Kingsley swayed across his field of vision, battling with the pock-marked and no longer masked Rookwood; another jet of green light flew over Harry's head as he launched himself towards Neville.

It was chaos. Spells were hurtling around the room, students, alumni and death eaters ducking, dodging and shielding as they went.

Malfoy was blasted off his back. As Harry scrambled up again he looked around and saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now dueling. Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and Neville again, but before he could draw breath to strike, Lupin had jumped between them.

"Harry, round up the others and go!"

Harry seized Neville by the shoulder of his robes and lifted him bodily onto the first tier of stone steps; Neville's legs twitched and jerked and would not support his weight; Harry heaved again with all the strength he possessed and they climbed another step –

A spell hit the stone bench at Harry's heel; it crumbled away and he fell back to the step below. Neville sank to the ground, his legs still jerking and thrashing, and he thrust the prophecy into his pocket.

"Come on!" said Harry desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. "Just try and push with your legs -"

The prophecy flew out into the air and smashed into the floor; in the midst of everything else going on, only Harry and Neville were aware of its destruction. Dumbledore's sudden appearance changed the outcome of the battle completely. The death eaters retreated in shock, leaving only a small handful where there was once an imposing force. The chaos died down slightly as the headmaster began to capture some of their opponents as they tried to flee. After the rest of the room's occupants stopped where they stood, Sirius and Bellatrix were the last ones fighting, completely oblivious to everything else.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

He was laughing at her, wand drawn as he dodged her curses. Most of them flew by harmlessly, into the floor or on the walls. The next thing he knew, Sirius was hit by a stunner and sent careening backwards into a strange archway on the dais behind him. There was nothing he could do to stop it; he was too surprised to do anything, really. Sirius idly noted the expression of horror on Harry's face; it was just a moment, and a fatal one, he'd soon discover. The last things he was aware of were his cousin's terrible screeching, Harry's yells of distress, and the oddly plain colored ceiling as he toppled into the veil and out of sight.

"SIRIUS!"

…

Sirius awoke to find himself lying on cold, wet concrete, in the middle of a dark alleyway. He could hear the scratches and scrambling of rodents somewhere behind him, possibly in a nearby dumpster. If the foul stench that assaulted his nose was correct, he was probably out near the back of a restaurant somewhere. Old, moldy bread, rank off-cuts of meat, amongst various other terrible smells originated in that direction. There was also the tell-tale odor of car exhaust coming from the streets beyond, amongst tires screeching, horns honking and a chorus of shouts somewhere in the distance.

He glanced around, confused. Everything appeared to be off, although he wasn't entirely certain just how yet. It was a strange feeling he had in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite shake off. Sirius thought back to the moments that had transpired before he'd come to: Bellatrix's curse, falling and then nothingness.

But, how did I get here? Sirius asked himself quietly. The department of Mysteries was deep underground, and the whole ministry building was protected against apparation in or out of it, so the question of his sudden appearance in the middle of the city – above ground – was puzzling, to say the least.

Sirius shook his head, determined to examine that particular problem later. The more immediate issue of where he was at the moment demanded his attention. As soon as that was solved, he'd return to headquarters and assure the Order that he was fine, and just as confused as they were by his sudden disappearance. He hoped that it hadn't been too long since he'd been stunned by his cousin, Sirius didn't want to worry Harry too much; he knew that his godson was the type to take the blame - and responsibility – on his own shoulders. It was too much for someone as young as fifteen, although that didn't seem to stop the kid from placing himself in some extraordinarily dangerous situations.

Hopefully this will all clear up soon.

He stood, and was bewildered when he found everything to be much higher than he was used to. Sirius started forward, taking a few seconds to realize the full extent of his situation; somehow he'd ended up in his animagus form while he was unconscious. It was absurd; he'd never heard of such a thing occurring before. Well, here's a first time for everything, I guess, he mused. Strange things seem to be the norm these days…

He shook out his fur subconsciously, ignoring how the water shot off in several directions. He knew he was going to smell terrible later, he always did after it rained. It wasn't that much of a problem; Sirius knew that he could easily change back at will and he'd be able to apparate back to his house in no time. Given the more recent events, rather than prolong his return, Sirius deemed it appropriate to leave at that very moment, if only to reassure Harry that he was okay.

After a few moments, Sirius opened his eyes again. Taking in his surroundings a second time, as well as his reflection in a small puddle close by, Sirius was disheartened to find that nothing had changed; he was still a dog, with no idea where he was or who he could contact. He'd left his mirror upstairs in his room, and his wand was still in his pocket and currently out of reach. He slumped back down onto the ground with his head on his paws, miserable, his canine emotions taking over.

For the meantime, until he could come up with a good enough plan, Sirius decided that it was best for him to remain where he was. It would be unlikely that anyone would come across him in such a small out of-the-way spot. Maybe he'd find someone familiar on his way home…

….

I know this isn't very long, but it's just the prologue. It'll pick up its pace later as it goes along. I hope it managed to capture your interest.

Until next time, peace out!

Shadowcaster01