Here for You

by Fish01

The Veil is the divide between life and death. You cannot come back once you've passed through. It is impossible. Or is it? Try telling that to a Maurauder.

'SIRIUS! SIRIUS!'

I abruptly came to at Harry's voice. Every inch of me ached. Wow, that must have been some battle – Battle! I sat up quickly, suppressing a wince. A brief glance around showed I was no longer in the Department of Mysteries, but surrounded by white mist so thick I could see nothing else. What is going on? My brain was on fast-forward. All at once it came back to me. Harry was in danger and I – I was in a completely different place with seemingly no way to help him. I vaguely remembered falling through a veil, but the details were fuzzy – as was everything around me.

Without thinking twice, I transformed into Padfoot to take advantage of the keener hearing and eyesight. It was eerily silent; I could hear my own heart beating – Wait. My heart was beating. I was alive! Or was I? Glancing around again, I did a double take. Barely three feet to my left was the very archway I'd fallen through. As I drew nearer, distant voices resonated from it, as though coming from a badly tuned radio.

'He can't come back, Harry. He can't come back, because he's d-'

'HE - IS - NOT - DEAD! SIRIUS!'

The voices faded away. I was shell-shocked. Dead? I didn't feel dead, or at least how I expected it would feel. Didn't pain end with death? Mine certainly hadn't. And my heart was beating… or was that just wishful thinking?

'No, Harry! Harry! Come back!' Remus yelled.

A few moments passed until I heard Dumbledore's voice.

'Stay here, Remus, I'll go after Harry.'

There was a rumble of voices but I fixated on the tone of my former headmaster's voice. He sounded scared, something I had rarely heard from the ever-calm man. From the snatches of conversation, it was evident Harry was in danger. I knew that it was impossible to survive falling through the veil. But impossible just meant no one had ever achieved it, right? After all, McGonagall once told the Marauders it was impossible to teach the Giant Squid to dance to Hip-Hop. Two weeks later she was eating her words… and yelling herself hoarse at us for wasting time instead of doing Transfiguration homework.

I stared at the veil. There was no point trying to be academic about it; clearly the only option was to simply march back through and hope for the best. So that was what I would do. As soon as that thought entered my mind, the world suddenly tilted sharply. What had been flat ground two seconds previously was now a steep and uneven incline. It was as though someone – or something – didn't want me to leave. I struggled on regardless. I lost my footing countless times, and each time I slide several metres until I managed to stop my rapid descent, only to doggedly heave myself back upward.

Before long I could feel the result of more than a year of inactivity. My breath came in short, painful stabs and I had added numerous bruises and gashes to my previous aches and pains. Damn, I am so unfit! It was tempting to stop and rest, but I could somehow sense that if I did, I'd never get out of here alive. After what felt like hours of climbing and sliding, I reached a section where the ground evened out, almost like a landing after a flight of stairs. And on that small platform was the archway!

I staggered forward. There was a flash of painfully bright light and the next thing I knew I was lying in front of the veil, weak and gasping for breath, still in dog form.

'Sirius? What the –?'

I wearily lifted my head to look up at Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was staring at me incredulously, as if he'd never seen a dog-tired dog before. Well, now he had. Good for him.

Trembling from exertion, I dropped my head back on my paws, content to ignore him until I'd caught my breath. After all, it was hard work coming back to life… if that was indeed what I'd done. The details were still a bit sketchy.

'Remus! Remus, get over here!'

If Kingsley seemed shocked, it was nothing to how Remus looked. It was as though he'd aged ten years since I'd last seen him. No sooner had I thought this than I was staring at the end of his wand. Not the welcome I had expected.

'Transform,' he growled.

Yeah, like I had the energy. I looked up at him tiredly. Come on… take the hint, Moony. Give the suspicious dog a breather before working out whether or not he's a traitor trying to kill you.

His eyes flashed dangerously. 'Now.'

I heaved myself to my feet with a groan, making it quite clear how inconvenient I found his demand. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on transforming. There was a slight tingling sensation as my body changed and then I was standing unsteadily before Kingsley and Remus, trying not to smile at their bulging eyes and gaping mouths.

Remus dropped his wand. 'Sirius?' he breathed.

Yes, Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected actually dropped his wand on the dirty ol' floor. There was barely time for me to smirk before he pulled me into a hug. Here we go. This is the welcome I was expecting.

'How on earth did you survive? We saw you fall through the veil,' he said huskily, blinking suspiciously fast. The softie. Although I had to admit it was nice to have been missed so much. My own throat felt a bit tight. Keep it together, Black.

I hugged him back, still trying to catch my breath. My body felt weak and shaky. 'No idea. Where's Harry? Is he okay?'

Remus frowned. 'Sirius, after you… fell, he ran off after Bellatrix… Voldemort was there –'

My legs gave way then, depositing me in a heap on the hard floor. 'Harry – is he – he can't be – Remus, he's not –?'

'No,' he said quickly. 'Harry's fine. Dumbledore got there in time… but Sirius, Harry's distraught, he thinks you're dead…'

'Where is he?' I tried to pull myself to my feet, but my legs wouldn't support me.

'Dumbledore's office, but you can't just show up without any warning –'

'How will I get there without being seen?' I muttered to myself. 'Can't Apparate onto Hogwarts' grounds, can't get to the Floo without being seen by Ministry workers, Buckbeak's back at Grimmauld…'

Remus waited until I'd exhausted my brief list. 'What about a Portkey?'

It sounded so obvious when he said it like that, in such a reasonable Professor-ish tone. Wow, Black. You call yourself a wizard.

'Excellent, Moony! Er… I don't suppose you have one on you?'

Yikes, there was the Professor-glare. No wonder Dumbledore asked him to teach; that expression would make a seventh-year Slytherin shake in their shoes… maybe.

'Oh, right, of course. You need Ministry approval… got it. Well, if that's the case, why suggest it?'

He ignored me, instead turning to Kingsley who nodded and pointed his wand at a fist-sized stone that had been a part of a stair before its untimely destruction. 'Portus,' he said clearly.

The stone glowed blue for a moment.

Kingsley thrust it into my hands. 'Remus, you should go with him to explain.'

Remus quickly put his hand on the Portkey. A few seconds later there was a jerk and Kingsley and the destroyed room vanished in a whirlwind of colour and sound…

When my feet hit the ground, I had to lean against Remus for a second to regain my balance. The adrenaline had faded, leaving me completely spent.

'Are you alright?' he asked in concern as I swayed on my feet.

'Just fabulous, Moony,' I replied reaching for the door handle. At least I didn't have to attempt any more stairs; the Portkey had deposited us at the top of the landing just outside Dumbledore's office.

'Oh, Merlin's pants!' I muttered.

'What's up?'

'The door's locked.'

Remus stared at me as though I had just proclaimed Snape my best friend. 'So-o?' he said slowly.

'So I can't get in,' I said just as slowly. Duh, Moony.

'Yes, you can – you're a wizard, for Merlin's sake!' he said in a tone that implied that I was being difficult on purpose.

I rolled my eyes. 'Thank you for reminding me, Professor, but really, I can't get in; I've lost my wand and right now I don't have the strength for wandless magic.'

He sighed wearily. 'Right… Alohomora.'

The lock clicked and the door swung open. I followed him into the room. Dumbledore was sitting calmly at his desk facing the window. As we entered, he was saying, 'Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human.'

I stepped out from behind Remus so I could see Harry. He had his back to us, staring out the window, but after Dumbledore's comment, he spun to face the headmaster.

'THEN - I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN!' he roared, and seized the delicate silver instrument from the spindlelegged table beside him and flung it across the room; it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall. Several of the pictures let out yells of anger and fright, and the portrait of Armando Dippet said, 'Really!'

I was frozen to the spot. All I could do was gape at my godson, usually so strong and composed, displaying such pain, such utter agony. All because he thought I was dead.

'You do care,' said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. 'You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it. You have now lost your father, your mother and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care.'

'I - DON'T!' Harry screamed, turning back to the window. In doing so, he missed seeing the headmaster's expression turn to one of utter shock when he noticed me standing in the doorway.

Harry caught sight of me a moment after Dumbledore. He let out a sound between a sob and a gasp as he backed into a wall. 'STOP IT!' he yelled at Dumbledore. 'WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?' His voice broke at the end.

There was a sudden burst of magical energy and the window shattered, showering Harry with glass as he fell to his knees. Then his shoulders suddenly slumped forward and began to shake with suppressed sobs.

'Sirius?' said Dumbledore incredulously, standing up and looking between Remus and me. 'Remus – what?'

I walked shakily across the room to kneel beside Harry. He flinched back violently when I laid a hand on his shoulder.

'Get away from me!' he hissed.

'Harry,' I said quietly. He was shaking as he took huge gulps of air to keep himself from losing control. 'Harry, please look at me. It's really me, here, watch.'

I stood up and transformed into Padfoot. Harry still wasn't looking at me. I stepped forward and nudged Harry's arm with my nose. Finally, his eyes lifted to meet my own.

'S-sirius?'

I turned back into myself, crouching down again. 'Yes, it's me, Harry. It seems the veil can't hold animals,' I said. 'I'm sorry I kept you waiting.'

Harry raised a hand and tentatively reached out to touch my shoulder. The next thing I knew, I was hugging him tightly. Although I would later deny it, a few tears threatened to escape. I blinked them back. I'd thought my heart would stop when Remus told me Harry had faced Voldemort again. For a moment I'd been sure Harry was dead at his hand. At some point, Remus and Dumbledore had left the room, no doubt to give us some privacy, although I suppose the headmaster was eager for an explanation. It wasn't everyday a dead man came back to life, even in the wizarding world.

'I thought you were dead,' said Harry quietly.

'I know. I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to provoke Bellatrix.'

He was silent for a moment, then: 'How did you come back?'

'I heard you calling me.'

He pulled back to look at me in amazement. 'Really?'

'Yep,' I confirmed. 'I also heard Remus and Dumbledore. From what they were saying, it sounded like you were in danger again. I had to come back; I wanted to come back.' I grinned at Harry's incredulous expression. 'I couldn't let my favourite godson get into trouble again, now could I?'

He laughed shakily. 'Your only godson, Sirius. Unless there's something you haven't told me.'

I chuckled softly before growing serious. 'I think there's a lot I haven't told you. Like how much you mean to me.'

Harry looked at me nervously. 'What?'

'When I escaped Azkaban I wasn't saving my godson, I was avenging my best friend and saving his son. But after meeting you, I wanted to be a part of your life. As I spent time with you, I came to realise that I care about you. More than anything else, Harry. I love you like a son. When Remus told me that you faced Voldemort again tonight, all I could think about was that I had never told you how important you are to me.'

Harry stared at me with wide eyes, looking both touched and shocked that I was being so open all of a sudden. 'Thank you for telling me, Sirius…' He cleared his throat nervously. 'Having you around… it's like… how I imagined it would be to… have a dad.'

I couldn't help it; I grinned like a loon and pulled him in for another hug. 'Harry, I don't want to keep holding you at arms length just because that's what other people think is best. It's not good enough. I want to take a more active role in your life if you'll let me.'

'I'd like that,' Harry said, grinning.

It was a while before I remembered that we were surrounded by glass. It was several more minutes until I realised that Harry was hurt. 'Are you alright? You're bleeding.'

A bewildered expression crossed his face as he glanced down at himself. He had numerous cuts on his neck and arms from being showered in glass, and the legs of his trousers were spotted with blood from the knees down. 'I didn't notice,' he said in surprise, getting to his feet slowly.

I shook my head fondly as he tried to hide a wince. He straightened, attempting to look perfectly healthy and alert, but failed dismally.

'Hospital Wing. Come on.'

'Not a bad idea,' Harry said, eyeing my own cuts and grazes critically. 'You look like you need it.'

'Me? I'm fine,' I said calmly, although once I was standing I felt a bit lightheaded. 'I was talking about you. I'd better turn into Padfoot. You can lean on me if you need to.'

We made our way down the winding staircase and emerged in the corridor beside the gargoyle on the outside. Remus and Dumbledore were there waiting. Both smiled warmly when they caught sight of Harry, looking tired but relaxed as he limped along by my side.

We made our way through the many corridors to the Hospital Wing. My exhaustion caught up with me. My injuries were giving me some trouble; Bellatrix had hit me with some powerful hexes before I fell through the veil. I struggled to walk straight, something Harry was quick to pick up on.

'Sirius?' he said quietly. 'Are you okay?'

I couldn't muster up the energy to respond. Wordlessly, Remus moved to my side, occasionally shooting me concerned glances as I continued to stumble along. They had to keep stopping to allow me to catch up. When we finally reached the Hospital Wing, Remus hurried Harry to an empty bed while Dumbledore went to look for Madam Pomfrey. Meanwhile, my shaky legs had given out again, dumping me in the middle of the aisle with a muffled thump.

Remus turned quickly from Harry and strode to my side. 'Come on, almost there. Up you get,' he murmured as he slipped his arms around my chest and hefted to my feet. He helped me clamber onto the empty bed beside Harry's. Once there, I plonked down gracelessly and laid my head on my. Harry looked worried so I wagged my tail and yawned hugely, hoping he'd get the message that I was fine, just tired. He nodded, but didn't look at all convinced.

Madam Pomfrey made her appearance about a minute later. 'Mr. Lupin, what is that dog doing on the bed?' she demanded, hands going to her hips.

'Resting, ma'am,' said Remus in an innocently polite tone that had saved the Marauders multiple times during our school years.

'Hmph,' she muttered. 'I can see that. Why is it in here? This is a hospital!'

Remus nodded sagely. 'He's hurt. I don't suppose you'd mind having a look at it – after Harry, of course.'

She still looked annoyed but bustled over to Harry. 'Let's have a look at you, Mr. Potter. Where does it hurt?' she said in a motherly tone.

Harry was soon wearing clean pajamas and covered in bandages, looking a bit uncomfortable at being centre of attention. I was pleased to see his face had lost the pale and strained appearance of before.

'Madam Pomfrey?' said Harry when she'd finished fussing over him. 'Could you please check on my dog Snuffles? He's hurt.'

Her eyes softened and she patted his hand gently. 'Of course, dear,' she said kindly.

I was too worn out to bother moving, so I just lay there as she cleaned my wounds and rubbed on a nasty smelling cream that burned horribly when she applied it. I felt Harry's eyes on me the entire time. When the matron was finished, I gave her hand a lick and wagged my tail.

'Oh, you are a sweet thing, aren't you?' she murmured, patting me on the head before hurrying back to check on her other patients. I lifted my head a fraction and looked at Harry in a self-satisfied way. See, I can soften her up too.

He tried to hide a grin behind a bandaged hand. Remus merely rolled his eyes, being much too used to my antics to find even a shred of amusement in the situation. I lay my head back on the soft bed and watched Harry do likewise. It wasn't long before his exhaustion caught up with him and he drifted off to sleep. I smiled to myself as my own eyes closed. We were safe. It wouldn't last – I knew that – but in this moment, I let myself relax. Harry was safe. I was by his side, where I belonged. For now, all was well.